Rumors

Ethan Sands: Minority #Cavs owner and #Browns defensive end Myles Garrett is in the building for tonight’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks. He’s accompanied by what I can only imagine is the Hard Knocks camera crew. #LetEmKnow #NBASky #NBAThreads

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Kelsey Russo: #Cavs Donovan Mitchell is here at the #Browns season opener.

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Browns star pass rusher Myles Garrett has finalized a deal to purchase a minority stake in the Cleveland Cavaliers, the NBA team announced Wednesday. Garrett will also serve as an official brand ambassador for the Cavs. "As a leader on and off the field, Myles has become a Cleveland icon and shares in our organization's commitment to being a transformative force for good across the region," Cavs owner Dan Gilbert said in a statement. "We are honored to welcome this long-time friend of the team as our new partner and investor.

ESPN

CEO and founder Mubarak Malik spent eight years in the Garden keeping the Knicks healthy, and Kyle Kuzma won a title while drinking it. “I’m very excited for an organization of first class like the Brooklyn Nets to carry us. It’s big,” Kuzma said. “They care about their players’ health and clearly (it shows) by making a move like that.” While Barcode supplies the Patriots, Browns and others, the Nets are the first official sports drink partnership they have with any NBA team. “It wasn’t like we were soliciting a bunch of different teams. The Nets branding just from the bottle (in) black-and-white, it’s New York City. I felt like they do a lot more grassroots initiatives with the kids. So it made sense,” Malik said. “The Nets are the first one we officially decided to partner with because of the synergy and the brand and what they were doing with inside their operations team.”

New York Post

Clutch Points: LeBron James says he's no longer a Cowboys fan and is now a Browns fan 👀 (via @NFLonPrime) pic.twitter.com/qhAsQGEpGI

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Shams Charania: Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry is completing the sale of his Bucks stake to Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and Haslam Sports Group for a $3.5 billion valuation on Friday, sources tell me and @eric_nehm .

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Jimmy Haslam offered up the first public comments on his impeding purchase of a significant share of the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday at the NFL owner’s meetings in Arizona. Speaking to Ohio reporters, Jimmy and Dee Haslam — owners of the Cleveland Browns — said the purchase of Marc Lasry’s 25% is still weeks away from NBA approval so they didn’t want to get into specifics, but did say Wes Edens would assume governorship of the team while the Haslam Sports Group learns the NBA business.

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

"It's opportunistic," Jimmy Haslam said of the impending purchase. "I mean listen, we never thought we'd own 10% of the Steelers. Never thought we'd own the Browns. Dee and I had never been, beside watching (daughter) Whitney play high school soccer, had never been to a soccer game. So it's just opportunistic. It was straightened set of circumstances; we were called on this opportunity. Business, sports, you tend to be optimistic. I have no idea what will happen next. First thing's first, let's get this done and then let's get the Browns winning games."

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

When three veterans of legendary NFL agent Leigh Steinberg’s firm broke away in 2001 to launch their own talent agency, Athletes First, their plan, as the name suggests, was to put the needs of players over those of agents and teams. In the next two decades, it grew from a three-person shop in a Southern California living room to the largest talent agency in pro football, with a staff if 55 and sprawling offices in the posh Los Angeles suburb of Laguna Hills. Its 20 agents represent 300-plus players, including Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and Los Angeles Rams All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Athletes First has negotiated more than $11 billion in contracts since its founding, including the richest guaranteed-money deal in league history: $230 million over five years for Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. Today, the founders are set to announce that venture capital firms Mastry Ventures and General Catalyst are buying a majority stake. The new owners plan to bring a VC mindset to the agent business, says Mastry co-founder Rudy Cline-Thomas, helping players set up off-field ventures in addition to representing them in negotiations with teams. “We think we can build formidable businesses with these athletes, individually and as an aggregate, across industries,” says Cline-Thomas. “We’re turning them from players to owners.”

Bloomberg

Shams Charania: Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry has an agreement to sell his stake in the Bucks to American businessman and Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and Haslam Sports Group for a $3.5 billion valuation, sources tell me and @Eric Nehm.

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The Haslam Sports Group, owners of the Cleveland Browns and Columbus Crew, are in advanced talks to acquire Marc Lasry’s stake in the Milwaukee Bucks, according to multiple people familiar with the negotiations.

Sportico

The Browns are working to raise money for an endowment for the Clark Atlanta Basketball program, making room for younger generations to attend the school and play. "Our attempt is to raise $100,000 for the endowment for the basketball program," said Malawi Davis. Longtime family friend and metro Atlanta attorney Malawi Davis is one of the soldiers in the family fight. Right now, they've raised just over $60,000. The goal is to have the full amount by Sunday when Tony and Tina Brown will be recognized by Clark Atlanta before an alumni basketball game.

Fox 5 Atlanta

The first act of teamwork from the Cavaliers’ new backcourt duo of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland will come four days before training camp. Mitchell and Garland will serve as Dawg Pound captains for Thursday’s night’s nationally televised game between the Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Akron Beacon Journal

Adrian Wojnarowski: Sashi Brown is leaving Monumental Sports and the Washington Wizards to return to the NFL as an executive with the Baltimore Ravens, sources tell me and @AdamSchefter . Brown had previously been the Cleveland Browns GM.

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