Brandon Jennings Leaving His Agent?

[mcfromage]

Some hazy tweets coming in here... Not sure what the timing of this might suggest...

BRANDON JENNINGS ‏@justryod3
I wanna thank BDA & the whole staff for everything they have done for me. They supported me through it all and always wanted the best for me
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2m BRANDON JENNINGS ‏@justryod3
Staff*
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3m BRANDON JENNINGS ‏@justryod3
At this time I'm making a decision thats best for me and my Family. I wish nothing but the best for everyone!!!
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4m BRANDON JENNINGS ‏@justryod3
Bill Duffy was like a father figure to me. A uplifting & a great guy overall overall.
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6m BRANDON JENNINGS ‏@justryod3
I wanna thank BDA & the whole stuff for everything they have done for me. They supported me through it all and always wanted the best for me
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[mcfromage]

Thank you for the update BJ3:

BRANDON JENNINGS ‏@justryod3
I'm not talking bout leaving Milwaukee or a Trade. I just changed Agents that's all
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[Nebula1]

Should have extended him already. Best of luck to Jennings going forward.

[Badgerlander]

Ken Berger ‏@KBergCBS

Sources: Bucks' Brandon Jennings dropping agent Bill Duffy, will sign with Jeff Schwartz. #NBA http://cbsprt.co/Yy5mRb

[EastSideBucksFan]

This is not good for him staying in Milwaukee.

[emunney]

Why is that? These guys are both mega agents. Schwartz has a stronger NBA roster, but it's not as if he's been getting everybody to the coasts.

[LUKE23]

This is not good for him staying in Milwaukee.

This is only true if:

1. Schwartz can realistically land a clearly better offer than Duffy could have

and

2. The Bucks aren't planning on matching the offer regardless

I don't really think either are true.

[ReasonablySober]

I have no tangible evidence to base this opinion on, but I've always assumed having an agent in the NBA was less about the contract you're going to see from a team and more about endorsements and your 'brand'.

[emunney]

I will say that it's a slap in the face to Duffy to switch agents right before he signs his big contract.

[InsideOut]

From CBS sports.

Brandon Jennings has parted ways with his agent and is expected to soon sign with Jeff Schwartz, whose clients include Deron Williams, Blake Griffin and Paul Pierce.
Jennings is heading toward restricted free agency after failing to sign an extension this year, as the Bucks preferred to let the market dictate his value. This agent change may not help the Bucks' chances to keep him, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com describes Schwartz as "a noted proponent of the added endorsement income and opportunities that the NBA's largest cities can provide."

[LUKE23]

Again, Schwartz has no impact on Jennings leaving, outside of the possibility of him being able to garner an offer that Duffy could not, AND the Bucks having drawn a line in the sand that said offer goes over. This isn't an unrestricted free agent we're talking about.

Personally, I feel that if Jennings is here on February 22nd, he will be matched regardless. Not that I really agree with that, but I expect it. But is Schwartz really a much better negotiator in terms of landing per year deals for RFA than Duffy? Highly doubt it.

[Badgerlander]

Jennings is restricted, the market is pretty much set already, and there is only two or three teams that may even have a need at PG that would have the cash to go after him. What has Jennings shown that would make anyone even think that another team would try to make an offer that we would think twice about not matching? If his new agent did somehow find another team that would give us a good deal in a sign and trade would anyone be upset?

[averageposter]

Bucks have problems negotiating against themselves, so I don't really think it matters who a player hires they already have the upper hand.

[emunney]

If Schwartz's goal is to push BJ toward a larger market in search of endorsement money, that's only going to constrict the market for him. He's not dumb and won't do that with a RFA.

[worthlessBucks]

Bucks have problems negotiating against themselves, so I don't really think it matters who a player hires they already have the upper hand.

Indeed.

[Run-MKE 311]

Non-starter, his current team was not able to get a deal done and he feels that his needs are being under-served.

If the Bucks are convinced that they will match whatever he is offered, than it does not matter. I like Brandon, but sometimes I think he believes he is Deron Williams or Chris Paul, which he is certainly not.

[L&H_05]

Non-starter, his current team was not able to get a deal done and he feels that his needs are being under-served.

If the Bucks are convinced that they will match whatever he is offered, than it does not matter. I like Brandon, but sometimes I think he believes he is Deron Williams or Chris Paul, which he is certainly not.

I agree. I like Jennings to a degree.

He is not "The Man" type of franchise player and my concern is a lack of improvement overall and his inability to slow his game up.. He still performs at a high speed..

I can see him being a better prospect on a veteran team... If the Bucks lost him, I dont forsee it being a major loss for the franchise..

[Nebula1]

L&H up in here? What up dude?

Losing Jennings would be a major loss for the Bucks. Don't be silly. He's 23 and once all these guys have been playing together for 3 or 4 more years, they're going to be a really strong unit, Jennings included.

[coolhandluke121]

If it's true that this guy is one of those "big-market endorsement" honchos, then I could see him talking Jennings into accepting the qualifying offer in order to be an unrestricted free agent in 2014.

No franchise players accept the qualifying offer that I recall. Not even borderline franchise players or future repeat all-stars. It caters to players who really, truly overestimate their own ability and worth, who think that the team that drafted them just doesn't appreciate them and is blind to their value as a franchise player. Players who think that their value as a franchise player "goes without saying" and believe that the only reason they weren't offered a lucrative extension is because someone in their team's front office has a vendetta against them. It caters to the type of vanity that is extraordinary even for a former NBA lotto pick, and I think Brandon fits that description to a T.

Plus he will always have marketing appeal for the gullible sort of "And-1" fan that likes his game and is a sucker for hype/flash/advertising, so maybe it really is true that he would be better off in a bigger market. I'm pretty sure the Bucks would be better off cutting ties and moving on, so I embrace the possibility - although I would obviously rather see him traded for something of value rather than let him sign the qualifying offer.

I could see him being traded to a team that offers him less than what the Bucks might have offered him in an extension, and accepting it after he finally realizes how much he overestimated his worth.

[Bfinkish]

Tbh I'm really torn on dealing bj3. If we can't keep him for 9-11 mil a yr for 4yrs then a trade needs to be saught after. I just don't think we can afford to pay him more than that. My reasoning lies in the theory that Hammond holds in building NBA teams. We cannot pay a non allstar any more money than that IMHO. We cannot pay a player more than that when they aren't the type of player you build a team around.

Brandon is young, I do like him. But we have to be smart. We don't want to get stuck like we did with redd. 4 yrs 44 mil wouldn't be crippling if he just stays pat and doesn't progress. Anything more would be. Changing agents at this point is very interesting. Deep down bj3 wants the money, fame, and his swag to be noticed. I'm not sure he believes it can be achieved here... Just really torn on this story.