Nate Jones has a post today on how Kevin Durant is currently negotiating with Nike and Adidas for a sneaker endorsement deal. While driving up bidding for his client's endorsement, super agent and sleezeball Aaron Goodwin (the agent that originally got LeBron James' his $90 million Nike contract, plus almost all his endorsements, before James separated from him) has said, according to John Canzano of The Oregonian, that Durant has seen what Stephon Marbury has done with his Starbury sneakers, and wants whoever he ends up signing with to market a mid-range priced sneaker, from the $39 to $69 range.
Marbury's sneakers, which sell for $14.98 (that second penny below $15 always felt odd to me - it must just be a style thing, right?), has been not only a big success for Steph, but has also generated lots of good publicity for him. Kevin Durant probably figures it is not a bad idea to get in on the good foot, in terms of publicity. Of course, keep in mind this might just be a ploy to get traction in the negotiations....
But, as John writes "If that happens, it would mark the first time in recorded sneaker company-athlete endorsement negotiations that the public had something tangible to gain". Indeed, this would definitely help give momentum to the movement Marbury started a year ago. In just 12 months' time he's made his headlines and news with low cost sneakers, gotten them in the hands of low income kids, got Ben Wallace aboard, and now has apparently impacted one of the next great stars of the league into making endorsement decisions with the goal of keeping the price down.
In other news from out there, the LA Times is reporting that a possible deal sending Jermaine O'Neal from the Pacers to the Lakers is being held up on the Lakers' side, who are not happy with the terms being proposed. The suppose deal calls for O'Neal and Troy Murphy's huge albatross of a contract (a must get-rid contract for the Pacers, which, keep in mind, was the result of "dumping" Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington on the Warriors - again, Larry Bird is a far worse GM than Isiah, okay?) going to the Lakers in return for both Andrew BynumandLamar Odom. And Kwame Brown's contract (expires at end of next season), too.
We think this deal is a pretty close, and just needs some minor tweaking. Obviously Odom isn't that important to the Pacers to get back, at least not as important as getting rid of Murphy's contract (asset #1) and getting a building block in Bynum (asset #2) is. Either Indy will ease off the Odom requirement and accept the deal as is, or the Lakers will acquiese. The Lakers don't really need Odom's injury-proned talent, and he is costly. They might just be stalling talks in the hopes of enducing Indiana to give up a draft pick, too - it would have to be a future pick, as the Pacers' don't have a pick this draft.
Personally, with Chris Duhon on the trading block in Chicago, we are surprised the Lakers haven't gone after him. He's cheap, an upgrade over Smush Parker, and the perfect guard in the triangle offense - one who can hit open threes and keep the ball moving. If the Lakers don't get a big name point guard, I have to envision them going hard after Duhon.
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