NBA Draft prospect Jaylen Brown, a projected lottery pick, "will be signing a footwear and apparel endorsement deal with adidas," according to sources cited by Nick DePaula of THE VERTICAL. Brown "has made the rare move to enter the NBA draft without hiring a primary agent to handle his team negotiations." He did, however, "look to agent Aaron Goodwin to negotiate his shoe deal." Goodwin "has long been viewed as a marquee agent for shoe deals, having negotiated some of the most lucrative endorsement contracts in the industry," including those for Cavaliers F LeBron James (Nike), Thunder F Kevin Durant (Nike), Rockets C Dwight Howard (adidas) and Trail Blazers G Damian Lillard (adidas). For adidas, the signing of Brown "represents a shift in strategy as it looks to reposition itself in the basketball market." The brand is "looking to spend its future sponsorship and marketing dollars on signing players." adidas "has been extremely aggressive in this year's draft, angling to sign as many as seven of the projected top 10 picks." Sources said that Brown's shoe deal with adidas is worth "north of" $1M per year (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 6/12).
MY BUDDY: DePaula in a separate piece cited sources as saying that NBA prospect Buddy Hield has "agreed to a multiyear footwear and apparel endorsement deal with Nike." The deal was negotiated by his agent, Landmark Sports' Rob Pelinka (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 6/10).
