Josh Ketroser, agent to Marcus Smart, departs Wasserman

Ketroser confirmed he had left the agency but did not have any other comment.

Ketroser is the latest agent to leave the basketball practice since Arn Tellem left in June 2015 to become vice chairman of Palace Sports & Entertainment, owner of the Detroit Pistons. The others include Tellem’s son, Michael Tellem, who now works at CAA Sports; James Dunleavy, who now works at Independent Sports & Entertainment; and Jason Glushon, who formed his own agency.

Marcus Smart, the No. 6 pick in 2014 Photo by: NBAE / GETTY IMAGES

It is not clear how many other players Ketroser represents aside from Smart, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2014 draft.

> ISE HIRES SWENSON: Independent Sports & Entertainment has hired NFL agent Michael Swenson.

Swenson formerly worked at Octagon, but ISE hired him after his position was eliminated, so the parting was amicable and there are no issues to resolve.

It is not clear what clients, if any, Swenson will take with him to ISE.

Swenson will be working out of ISE’s San Francisco office with Doug Hendrickson, co-president of ISE Football.

“We are excited to add Mike to our growing team at ISE Football,” Hendrickson said in a statement. “He is a talented young agent with a bright future in front of him.”

> WASSERMAN SIGNS PETERSON: Wasserman has signed PGA Tour golfer John Peterson for representation.

Terry Reilly, Wasserman executive vice president of golf, will represent Peterson. He was formerly represented by Blue Giraffe Sports.

Peterson has endorsements with Under Armour for apparel and Titleist for clubs. His deal with Titleist is up in about a year.

“We are going to be finding him corporate partners,” Reilly said. “He is a wonderful player. He won the [2011 individual] NCAA championship at LSU, and everyone holds him in high esteem.”

Peterson recently returned to the PGA Tour after undergoing surgery on his hand in January. Earlier this month he finished tied for 15th at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in Mexico. “We believe in his ability, and he is completely healthy,” Reilly said.

Wasserman represents dozens of PGA Tour players, including world No. 1 Jason Day and No. 12 Rickie Fowler.

> CHANGE IN PLANS: Jeff Borris, the MLB agent trying to unionize UFC fighters, has decided he won’t reveal at this time the athletes and agents who he says have agreed to join advisory boards.

Borris had said earlier this month that he was going to announce the names of the people on an agent advisory board and a fighter board, but “I came to the conclusion that I really don’t gain anything by releasing the names of these people.” Borris said he may yet name the people on the boards.

Some in the MMA community are skeptical about the level of support for Borris’ effort. An MMA agent who is not part of Borris’ group said fighters want a better deal but are not sure whether Borris’ plan has enough backing or makes sense.

“I think it’s a good effort, but I don’t know if it’s going to be successful,” said this agent, who requested anonymity because he did not want to be identified talking about a potential union. He noted that another attorney, Robert Maysey, had long been working on another effort and that some fighters supported that.

Maysey, a partner with Phoenix law firm Warner Angle, is one of the attorneys suing the UFC on antitrust grounds, and is an organizer of the Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Association.

The MMAFA is a trade association rather than a union that collectively bargains for fighters.

Maysey said he and some fighters decided the best way to get a better deal was through an antitrust lawsuit. Once athletes employed by a sports entity are unionized, the entity has the labor exemption that protects them from antitrust lawsuits.

“The UFC is a monopoly, and a union will not raise wages with that structure,” Maysey said. “You need free agency.”

Liz Mullen call be reached at lmullen@sportsbuinessjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @SBJLizMullen.