Minnesota Sports Forum

He is the agent for Nikola Pekovic.
And, more importantly, for Kevin Love.

Bill Simmons touched on a new NBA development in his latest basketball piece on Grantland. Complementary guys are getting bigger contracts because their agents are also the agents to stars nearing contract extensions on the team.

See Martell Webster in Washington. It helped sign John Wall. So, based on that... if Love AND his agent want Pekovic to stay and make $15M...

Yikes. I think EVERYBODY agrees that Pekovic making more than $12M seems like too much. But, what if it was thought of as a bit of a $3M/year insurance policy to extend Kevin Love?



[Note: I can't imagine the Wolves paying that money. I think it's a ridiculous amount for what they have in Pekovic, a good but not great... nor young... player. I also don't like the idea of agents and star player high-jacking an entire franchise even more than they already do.]

I don't see how it makes any sense from Love's POV. He wants the best team around him he can get, and overpaying Pek doesn't help that goal. I can understand wanting the wolves to re-sign him, but the better the deal for the wolves, the more money to spend elsewhere.

If an agent uses the leverage of one client for another, the wolves need to make that public. The NBA is pretty strict on rules governing agents, so I doubt that is happening.

I agree that giving Pekovic $15M does much more harm than good.

But I disagree about the agents part. Maybe it isn't so overt to get busted... but maybe I'm trying (along with others) to justify Martell Webster?

I hope he isn't playing that card with Flip because I think Love leaves at the end of his contract regardless of whether the Wolves underpay, adequately pay, or overpay Pek.

As far as players drafted in the 00s has any player taken the 2nd extension (7-8+ years into the league)? I'm only coming up with Dwyane Wade. Everyone else chases brighter lights and better situations or the team tosses them aside. Love will have put his time in and has put up with some real poor management, poor coaching, and poor supporting casts.

He won't leave because he hates Minnesota or because Glen Taylor and David Kahn soured him on the franchise. He's going to leave because that's the new normal. Anyone see any reason why he'd buck the trend?

Cue a doe-eyed poster's reply, "B-b-but Ricky Rubio..."

B-b-but Ricky Rubio...

This is much-to-do about nothing. Well, until it becomes something!

Something for us fans, as usual, is yesterday. For the Wolves, it's probably somewhere around the beginning of September. And for Pek/Schwartz the deadline revolves around the Montenegro team's schedule. I'll raise my eyebrows when we pass either of the latter two dates.

Schwartz is just doing his job. Flip is sticking to his guns, which is something we were worried he wouldn't do when he first took over. Good for him.

AbeVigodaLive wrote:I agree that giving Pekovic $15M does much more harm than good.

But I disagree about the agents part. Maybe it isn't so overt to get busted... but maybe I'm trying (along with others) to justify Martell Webster?

You don't think the stats Webster put up garnered $5.5 million per year? I guarantee you if the Wolves had a player that played good defense, was athletic, and shot 44% from 3 all of us would be clamoring for him to be resigned for the MLE. Basically it's Corey Brewer or what Webster got.

I know he might not continue playing that way, but I wouldn't be surprised. The guy has always had potential but had issues with his back. Those issues were gone last year and he played how the Wolves hoped he would when he was here.

Webster > Brewer

Pek is holding out to skip training camp on his national team. After being shown he will make as much as Ricky over the course of their careers, Love resigns in Minny. Book it

I think Webster deserved his contract based on last season ALONE. I know his PER wasn't good, but his 3 point shooting and defense were both above average, especially the shooting. And he had great chemistry with Wall, Beal, and co. They are obviously all very close based on Instagram posts.