Marvin Bagley III was an excellent collegiate player and sure fire top 5 pick in this years NBA Draft. Bagley III is a very good but not generational talent so this does make the news of his new sneaker deal a bit surprising.
According to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski, Bagley III will sign a five-year pact with Puma. The total dollar amount on the contract has yet to be revealed however it’s expected to surpass Kevin Durant’s seven-year, $60 million endorsement deal with Nike in 2007. ESPN is also reporting Puma has it’s sights set on another fellow rookie in Oklahoma guard Trae Young.
With DeAndre Ayton all but assured of the top spot in next week’s NBA Draft, it will be interesting to see the market which lands Bagley III. You’d have to imagine Puma would prefer the Duke forward landing in Atlanta at the third spot as opposed to the Kings who pick second. Hopefully the move works better for Puma compared to the last time they linked up with an NBA player. You have to go back to 1998 where Vince Carter signed with the company. He also stopped wearing the shoe because he thought they were uncomfortable, left the company and was sued for breach of contract.