While player agents haven't been able to execute their alleged plot to take over the players' union, Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that those very agents are now planning to rally against an eventual NBA lockout deal between the union and the league. Woj reports that agents feel that the union, led by Billy Hunter and Lakers guard Derek Fisher, is poised to make huge concessions to end the stoppage. Agents feel that these concessions would be "crippling."
Agents Threaten To Kill Eventual NBA Lockout Deal, According To Report
Privately, the most influential player agents in the business swear they won’t let Billy Hunter cut a crippling collective bargaining deal. They won’t let his parting gift to the union membership be deeper concessions, givebacks to the owners. They can’t storm the negotiating room in New York this week, but they believe they can ultimately stop the ratifying of a deal. They can deliver the percentage of players needed to decertify the union. They believe they still can unleash holy hell on this sure, steady capitulation to the NBA.
It’s unclear what specific concessions would lead to an agent-led uprising; the current proposal on the table, since rejected by the league, is a 53-percent share of revenue for the players and a continuance of the soft team salary cap structure. That doesn’t seem particularly crippling, but Woj mentions that some forecast that the split will eventually get down to 50 or 51 percent.
One thing is clear, though: if a deal is reached and agents kill it by leading a clandestine roll to decertification, they and the players they bring with them will be vilified to no end.
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