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Whenever the NBA world talks about free agency and the trade market, we often overlook NBA agents. These agents are responsible for the contract negotiations and getting their clients the right deal. Whenever we rave about how a player got a supermax contract or is getting overpaid, like Giannis Antetokounmpo or Rudy Gobert, these NBA agents are the ones working behind the scenes.
The 5 best NBA Agents right now
An NBA agent who is under the spotlight recently is Jeff Austin who was responsible for Giannis Antetokounmpo's supermax contract worth $228 million. Austin will also be in the limelight in the upcoming offseason given his biggest client is not Antetokounmpo but in fact Warriors superstar Stephen Curry. Curry is reaching the end of his contract and did not extend his deal last offseason, which has left many speculating that he is about to sign another supermax deal.
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On that note, let's take a look at the top 5 NBA agents who are active in the league today.
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#5 Aaron Mintz (Creative Artists Agency)
Aaron Mintz is one of the top NBA agents working for CAA sports (Creative Artists Agency). He has 26 players under his management, out of which 4 are current or former All-Stars. He is ranked 21st on Forbes' list of top sports agents and has signed several players to max contracts. Some of his famous clients are Paul George, Julius Randle, D'Angelo Russell, Tyrese Haliburton, and Carmelo Anthony among others.
Aaron Mintz's 26 players collectively have $218,117,057 in salaries under contract, which means he is handling the 6th-highest gross salaries in the NBA. He also had Devin Booker under his wing until the player decided to sign with another agent in the same sports agency.
#4 Austin Brown (Creative Artists Agency)
Austin Brown has been a famous name in the NBA agents conversation for a long time. He has 30 NBA players under his management. Brown was recently in the spotlight as the 2019 1st overall pick, Zion Williamson, signed with him. Some of his other famous clients are Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert, Donovan Mitchell, Kyle Kuzma, and Seth Curry among others.
Austin Brown as an NBA agent handles salaries combining up to $225,325,512 which comes up to the 4th-highest gross salaries. One player on the max contract is Donovan Mitchell, who recently signed a huge deal with the Utah Jazz.
#3 Mark Bartelstein (Priority Sports and Entertainment)
CEO of Priority Sports and Entertainment, Mark Bartelstein is one of the biggest names in sports. Combining his clients from outside the NBA as well, he handles player salaries upwards of a billion dollars. Bartelstein has 33 NBA players under his management as an NBA agent, and two of them are under max contracts. Some of his famous clients are Kyle Lowry, Bradley Beal, Gordon Hayward, Joe Harris, Joe Ingles, and Michael Porter Jr. among others.
Mark Bartelstein handles player salaries combining up to $251,405,798 which is the third-highest amongst any NBA agent.
#2 Rich Paul (Klutch Sports Management)
Arguably the most famous NBA agent, Rich Paul, CEO of Klutch Sports Entertainment represents a plethora of NBA stars. He is most renowned for being the NBA agent of superstar LeBron James and they are seen attending parties and events together. Although Paul represents just 24 NBA players, the quality of those players is what makes him one of the elite NBA agents. Some of his most famous clients are Anthony Davis, John Wall, Ben Simmons, Draymond Green, and Lonzo Ball among several others.
Rich Paul represented several players in the 2020 L.A. Lakers championship winning side. His collective salary management amounts to $338,838,226 which is the 2nd-highest among NBA agents. Paul has won several players max contracts over the years and has been LeBron James' agent since he was drafted in 2003.
#1 Jeff Schwartz (Excel Sports Management)
Probably the most successful NBA agent, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management represents the most number of NBA All-Stars. He has 33 players under his management, out of which 9 are All-Stars. Schwartz's list of famous NBA stars runs deep, with some of his clients being: Kemba Walker, Blake Griffin, Khris Middleton, Kevin Love, Nikola Jokic, Andre Drummond, Brandon Ingram, Jamal Murray and DeMarcus Cousins, among several others.
In the 2019 list of Forbes' most powerful sports agents, Jeff Schwartz was ranked 4th in the world amongst all sports while Rich Paul was ranked 19th. He has by far the highest collective salaries under management with a total of $462,773,639 in gross salaries. Judging by the list of names he represents, it is no co-incidence that he has gotten several players max contracts.
