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Goldman Sachs is nearing a deal to buy a majority stake in the sports talent agency representing Tiger Woods, Caitlin Clark and Derek Jeter, as Wall Street deepens its bets on the booming sports industry. Goldman’s asset management division was in late-stage talks to buy a controlling stake in Excel Sports Management at a near $1bn valuation, said two people briefed on the matter. The agency was formed by sports super agent Jeff Schwartz, who left the talent industry group IMG in 2002 to form a breakaway firm and was later joined by former IMG executives Casey Close and Mark Steinberg.
Shams Charania: BREAKING: Nine-time NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook has agreed on a deal to sign with the Sacramento Kings, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management tells ESPN. The 2017 league MVP enters his 18th NBA season.
Shams Charania: Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic has agreed to a four-year, $62.4 million rookie contract extension with the franchise, Jeff Schwartz, Sean Kennedy and Jared Mucha of Excel Sports Management tell ESPN. Jovic averaged a career-high 10.7 points last season as his Heat role elevates.
Tom Haberstroh: until I reported it earlier this year, I don’t think anyone saw this: the most closely aligned agency with one NBA team is not Clutch and the Lakers. It’s not the Knicks and CAA. It’s Excel — Jeff Schwartz’s agency — and the Denver Nuggets.”
Harrison had no prior connection to the Mavericks, but league sources say that a strong recommendation on his behalf was conveyed to Cuban by the influential agent Jeff Schwartz, Kidd's longtime representative whose Excel Sports agency would also become Harrison's agency. It didn't hurt Harrison's appeal that A) he was known for his leaguewide connections and relationships thanks to his Nike role and B) San Antonio had previously tried to hire Harrison for its own front office.
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Shams Charania: Statement from Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management: "The overwhelming sentiment, after conferring with multiple, nationally recognized doctors, is that the Los Angeles Lakers should not have failed Mark Williams on his physical. Mark was ready and able to play for them and should have been given that opportunity."
Knecht never worked out for the Lakers, with his agents -- Jeff Schwartz, Mike Lindeman and Anthony Coleman of Excel Sports Management -- scheduling their client to visit only teams selecting much higher. But as draft night unfolded and players made their way onstage to shake commissioner Adam Silver's hand, Knecht -- decked out in an all-black suit with a diamond-encrusted "DK" pendant hanging on a chain around his neck -- was still waiting to hear his name. Around the time Pitt's Bub Carrington -- a player the Lakers had coveted, sources told ESPN -- went No. 14 to the Portland Trail Blazers, Knecht started to look like a real possibility. Inside the Lakers' draft room, Knecht's fall didn't make sense. In preparation for the draft, L.A. had each of its scouts rank their top 100 prospects and aggregated those lists on their board. Knecht was in everyone's top 10. What were they missing? Pelinka called Schwartz and spoke to Knecht's team with Excel. "It was like, 'You're giving me your word?'" Pelinka told ESPN. "I had to do a trust call of, 'There's no red flags, right? You're giving us your word.' And that's when it started to unfold."
Marc Stein: BREAKING: Trey Murphy III and the Pelicans have agreed to a four-year, $112 million contract extension, his agents Sean Kennedy and Jeff Schwartz of @excelsm tell @TheSteinLine .
Adrian Wojnarowski: Monk’s agents Jeff Schwartz and Marcus Monk of @excelbasketball were able to start negotiations after the NBA Finals and avoid free agency with the maximum contract Kings are allowed to pay Monk. Huge offseason priority for Sacramento.
Adrian Wojnarowski: Toronto Raptors center Kelly Olynyk has agreed on a two-year, $26.25 million contract extension, Jeff Schwartz of @excelbasketball tells ESPN. Deal is the max that Olynyk was able to extend on. pic.twitter.com/KjFBVsI15u
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Russell Westbrook felt a mix of emotions when he got the call from his agent last February. Jeff Schwartz relayed the news that can completely turn a player's life upside down: a midseason trade. But in Westbrook's case, the news that the Los Angeles Lakers were trading the 2016-17 MVP to the Utah Jazz in a three-team deal came as a welcome reset. "I was so ready to play [for a new team] based on the situation I was in and how it ended," Westbrook told ESPN about that deal on Feb. 9, 2023, the third time he had been traded in his 15-year career.
Over the summer, Rubio, 33, had his agent, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management, alert the Cavaliers' president of basketball operations, Koby Altman, about his need to step away to address those mental health issues. The Cavaliers had accommodated Rubio, but discussions shifted in recent weeks to a buyout as it became clearer that Rubio did not anticipate playing for the Cavaliers -- or even in the NBA -- again, sources said.
Adrian Wojnarowski: Boban’s Back: Free agent C Boban Marjanović is returning to the Houston Rockets on a one-year deal, Mike Lindeman and Jeff Schwartz of @excelbasketball tell ESPN. Marjanovic is entering his ninth season, including stops with Spurs, Pistons, Clippers, Sixers, Mavericks. pic.twitter.com/YgfulfZFjX
Free agent forward Dario Saric has agreed on a one-year contract with the Golden State Warriors, agents Jeff Schwartz and Mike Lindeman of Excel Basketball told ESPN on Saturday morning. Saric, who played with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Phoenix Suns a year ago, had been one of the most sought-after players left on the market. At 6-foot-10, Saric gives the Warriors size and shooting off their bench.