In what’s becoming an extremely common practice in the NBA, Kyle Kuzma is following the trend by parting ways with his agent in the search for new representation.
The 2019 NBA offseason has led to a lot of discussions about agents.
For starters, it was the first time that free agency news was broken with credit being given to the agent with many announcements stating names. In addition, with player power and movement at an all-time high, agents are starting to receive a lot of credit as well as criticism for how their players get paid.
Kuzma cited an ‘eye towards growing his business interests’ as his reason for letting go of his agent and has also not begun the search to find a new one, according to Tania Ganguli of Los Angeles Times:
With an eye toward growing his business interests, Kyle Kuzma is parting ways with his agents, Mark Bartelstein and Zach Kurtin of Priority Sports and Entertainment, according to sources. He hasn't started meeting with prospective agents yet.
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) July 19, 2019
Kuzma’s former agent Mark Bartelstein released a statement about the situation, saying he wishes ‘nothing but great things for Kyle’ despite their lack of a shared vision in working together:
From Bartelstein: "I wish nothing but the best for Kyle. This was simply a situation in which it became clear our visions were not aligned. When that is the case, it simply does not make sense to continue our partnership. Once again, I want nothing but great things for Kyle.” https://t.co/FLBAEGJUeO
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) July 19, 2019
Until Kuzma picks a new agent, it’s likely he’ll spend that time being tied to Klutch Sports agent Rich Paul. Paul is famously the agent of Kuzma’s current Lakers teammates, LeBron James and Anthony Davis — along with Ben Simmons among others.
Despite the criticisms that Paul has faced recently — namely with the handling of Marcus Morris and Nerlens Noel’s deals — he is widely considered one of the game’s best agents.
Getting a All-Star player to their preferred destination via trade is one of the hardest feats in today’s game, but Paul executed Davis’ deal to Los Angeles perfectly. Perhaps Kuzma will end up with Paul but even if he doesn’t, he seems prepared to take that next step into the business world in what’s becoming an important step in an NBA player’s career.