Shams Charania and Adrian Wojnarowski are the two most prominent NBA insiders around, and they reportedly play a role in some players ending up with lower salaries.
“Woj or Shams might say, ‘Hey, don’t get levered up on Player X; he’s not gonna get an offer from his team,’” an executive told New York Magazine. “There are times when they have information that has prevented me from making a mistake in terms of the magnitude of a contract offer or the inclusion of a specific asset in a deal.”
It’s not all that surprising to me that this happens. It is basically quid pro quo with Shams and Woj. They’ll call you up to get some information and in exchange, you’ll get something from them. It is very easy to see how players can get screwed over in these situations.
One of these two can provide a team with information on whether they will actually face stiff competition for a player they’re interested in or want to re-sign. If the team realizes that the market isn’t actually as big as they’d imagined, they can lowball the player, knowing he isn’t going to get a lot more in the market.
Whatever you may think of it, the fact is that it is what has helped these two to rise to the top. It is a cutthroat business, and only those who are willing to get their hands really dirty make it big. Human beings almost never hesitate to step on one another if it helps them in some way, and that’s exactly the case here.
Dillon Brooks’ Agent Once Blasted Shams Charania
It’s safe to say there are plenty of people in the NBA world who aren’t the biggest fans of these two powerful insiders. Their word is often taken as gospel, and they control the narratives surrounding the players to an extent.
Charania reported earlier this year that Dillon Brooks won’t be brought back under any circumstances by the Memphis Grizzlies. He knew exactly what was going to happen when he reported it in that fashion, with Brooks getting ridiculed even more on social media.
The Grizzlies were mad over the report, and so was Brooks’ agent, who blasted Charania.
“The leader of spreading false news and attacking players. Why any player in the league talks to this guy blows my mind.”
They ultimately talk, because quid pro quo again. Just like the teams, if a player gives Charania an inside scoop, he’ll get some information that’ll help him as well. It’s just a never-ending cycle.
The Relationship Between Shams Charania And Adrian Wojnarowski
You might be surprised to know that Charania and Wojnarowski once worked together for Yahoo Sports. The latter was the top dog at Yahoo for the longest time and hired the former to be a part of their NBA team in 2015.
Wojnarowski even took Charania under his wing but then moved to ESPN in 2017. His protege had a chance to follow him but chose not to and stayed. Charania then began really making a name for himself and made the move to The Athletic in 2018.
As is the case with two competitors at the top of their profession, they don’t really get along anymore. NBA officials have described the relationship between Charania and Wojnarowski as being similar to Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker.
The Athletic avoids Wojnarowski’s tweets because Charania doesn’t like to see them, while ESPN discourages content from the Athletic being shared in any form. The two insiders never publically acknowledge each other either, in what some term as the last true rivalry in the NBA.
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