Arn Tellem is the star agent of the powerhouse Wasserman Media organization, which represents Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose, Anthony Davis, and the two biggest free agents on the market this summer: Marc Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge.
Actually, we should say Tellem was the star agent for Wasserman.
He is leaving his role as an agent to become a powerful force in the Pistons front office and business side, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.Wasserman Media Group’s Arn Tellem, one of the most powerful and prominent player agents in the history of the NBA, is finalizing an agreement to become vice chairman of Palace Sports and Entertainment, the company that owns the Detroit Pistons, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Tellem will answer directly to billionaire owner Tom Gores, but will not become the ultimate authority on the Pistons’ basketball decisions, sources said. That responsibility will remain with president and coach Stan Van Gundy, who signed a five-year, $35 million deal a year ago.
If you believe that Tellem will be able to keep his hands off of basketball operations, well, I have a little bridge to sell you in Brooklyn.
Tellem does have ties to Michigan, having gotten his law degree at the University of Michigan. And as the face of ownership with the Pistons he’s going to have a lot more to do than simply deal with the basketball side of things. He will spend more time on the business side.
But this is a change in the power structure in Detroit, which could have a lot of ramifications down the line.