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Agents may sue league on behalf of locked out rookies

2011 NBA Draft

NEWARK, NJ - JUNE 23: The 2011 Draft class including Kyrie Irving, Derrick Williams, Enes Kanter, Jonas Valanciunas, Brandon Knight, Jimmer Fredette and Kemba Walker pose for a group photo with NBA Commissioner David Stern (C) during the 2011 NBA Draft at the Prudential Center on June 23, 2011 in Newark, New Jersey. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

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If there is one group of sympathetic players in this unsympathetic lockout situation, it’s the just drafted rookies — guys who came out of college (or over from Europe) to live their NBA dream, only to be locked out. They exist in a limbo: locked to teams but without contracts, not yet part of the union either. They are basically powerless.

A few agents are looking to change that — they are looking to sue the league on behalf of those rookies, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo.

These would be anti-trust suits like the one other players will file against the league once the union formally dissolves. It was something discussed as part of an agent conference call on Monday.

Does it really change anything? No. Kyrie Irving and Jimmer Fredette and Enes Kanter are not going to have more money in their pockets or real leverage in the talks. But it gives them the impression somebody is doing something for them. And at this point that is about all they can get. So they’ll probably take it.