“Rather than thinking about the team, players are thinking who their teammates are going to be.”
That’s from NBA super-agent Jeff Schwartz, who runs Excel Management and represents many NBA players, including new Suns point guard Ricky Rubio. If that name doesn’t sound familiar, he’s the man responsible for more than over $1 billion in salary negotiated on behalf of his clients this summer.
The quote explains Schwartz’s perspective on player movement across the league, and it comes from a place of intimate involvement, as several situations manifested in the blink of an eye that led to Schwartz’s clients heading different directions.