Already one great decision and one that leaves me scratching my head.

Sure, I have become a big fan of Dan Fegan of Legardere Unlimited as of late, but he deserves my acclaim, especially when he gets his clients deals that look like straight-up steals.  I didn’t even discuss Drew Gooden in my post that was published earlier today.  Instead, when I brought up Fegan, I talked about Al Harrington.  I have faith that Fegan will score Harrington a solid deal after he got Gooden a 5-year, $32 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.  When you play for 8 teams in 8 seasons and get a 5-year deal for that much money, your agent is doing something right.

And then I shake my head when I hear that Richard Jefferson opted out of the final year of his contract, which would have entitled him to $15 million.  Sure, Jefferson will probably get a deal that lasts longer than 1 year, but if he rebounds from his lackluster previous season, he might be cutting himself short.  However, perhaps he and his agent, Todd Eley of Stratosphere Sports, knows something the rest of us don’t know.  Maybe Jefferson’s days as a star are over.  I did not know much about Todd Eley or his company, Stratosphere Sports.  After a quick search, I was unable to find a company website (it seems to be “Under Construction”), but I did find an uploaded presentation on Stratosphere.

Movement: Drew Gooden And Richard Jefferson from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

It’s July 1st.  Basketball junkies have been waiting for this day for quite some time.  Their favorite teams can start talking to LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh…for the past year, we have been doing all the talking for those teams.  Those three players are getting the most hype out of this ridiculous class of free agents, and they are all represented by the same agency, Creative Artists Agency, for negotiations related to their NBA contracts.  The task of representation is split between Leon Rose and Henry Thomas, and we all know about the variety of others who will make their presence known.

But LeBron, Wade, and Bosh are not the only talented free agents available, and the other players are not represented by CAA.  Let’s take a look at some of the other big agencies and who they will be negotiating on behalf of in this exciting offseason.

• Wasserman Media Group – Arn Tellem is the primary agent at WMG, but he will have BJ Armstrong, Bob Meyers, Dan Tobin, et al. to help him with finding Joe Johnson, Jermaine O’Neal, Tracy McGrady, Jermaine O’Neal, and Mike Miller a home.  After LeBron, Wade, and Bosh, Johnson seems to be the name that journalists are focusing on.
• Priority Sports – Mark Bartelstein is to Priority as Tellem is to WMG, but Bartelstein also has very able agents in Brad Ames and Aaron Mintz.  They will be focusing on David Lee and Brad Miller.  I love to see what David Lee has become in the NBA after not really living up to his expectations at the University of Florida.
• Immortal Sports – Happy Walters is the owner of the agency now known as Immortal Sports.  His big client for this free agency period is Amare Stoudemire, who along with Boozer, could be interesting pick-ups for a contending team.
• Landmark Sports Agency – Speaking of Carlos Boozer, he is represented by Rob Pelinka.  Pelinka will also be busy working the phones for Channing Frye.

There are other free agents who will gather interest, including Al Harrington, who is represented by Dan Fegan of Lagardere Unlimited.  And there are also some interesting restricted free agent names.  July should be a fun month.

It’s July 1st, Do You Know Where Your Favorite NBA Free Agent Is? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

• Wonderlic scores are out! Ryan Clady of Boise State must have not eaten his Wheaties the morning of the test [NFL teams weigh Wonderlic tests].
• Al Harrington dropped Arn Tellem for Dan Fegan [Fegan Gets Another One].
• At least Gary Sheffield is happy that the Detroit Tigers just gave Miguel Cabrera its largest contract offer in the organization’s history [Cabrera set to ink Tigers' biggest pact: $153.3 million].
• Dave Pepe got his client, Joe Nathan, a solid deal for a closer worth at least $47 million. What teams do you think the limited no-trade clause applies to? [After 37 saves in 2007, Nathan agrees to new four-year contract with Twins].
• You have to be a pretty decent player when accepting a 6-year $50.2 million contract is considered taking a hometown discount [Trufant agrees with Seahawks on long-term deal].
• Cal receiver DeSean Jackson signed with DeBartolo Sports and has been preparing for the NFL by practicing with Jerry Rice [The Dynamic Duo: Jackson and Rice].
• Sports agent Brian Levy is hosting the third annual Walk Under The Stars 5K Marathon this Sunday in Aventura, Florida to help raise money and awareness for cystic fibrosis. I actually used to run the 3.1 mile trail [Miami Triad Crush expects record number of triathletes to compete Sunday].
• Interested in learning how Congress has attempted to regulate sports in the past? [Timeline: Politicizing America's pastimes]
• It’s been a while since SportsAgentBlog.com has been on Carnival of the NBA. We make our return with a post on Carmelo [Carnival of the NBA #55].

This week’s featured post is Jason Wulterkens’ Dolphins On The Clock. Weigh in and give your thoughts on Jason’s opinion of the Fins’ franchise. Check out the story by clicking Featured on the right sidebar.

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules