Rob Pelinka - Professional Career - Carlos Boozer

Carlos Boozer

Rob Pelinka was involved in a complex negotiation which led to both SFX resigning as the agency for Carlos Boozer and to Pelinka briefly resigning as his agent. Pelinka currently represents Boozer as his agent. The issue involved discrepancies on an unconfirmed handshake agreement between Boozer and the Cavaliers owner Gordon Gund. At the time, Boozer had a $700,000 option year remaining on his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Boozer had originally been signed to a two-year guaranteed contract for $989,000 with a team option for the third year. However, his market value was much higher than that after two seasons in the NBA. Supposedly, Cleveland general manager Jim Paxson agreed not to exercise the team’s option after Boozer promised to resign with the Cavs for a long term, six-year-$41 million dollar contract. But once the team option expired, Boozer signed with the Utah Jazz for $68 million, an offer the Cavaliers would not match because they were over the NBA salary cap. Pelinka was attacked in the press for allowing his client to go to the highest bidder rather than forcing him to honor the unconfirmed handshake agreement. As a result, SFX dropped Boozer as a client, and Pelinka left the firm. A year later, after a short stint with another agent, Boozer re-hired Pelinka who has become President and CEO of his own sports agency, The Landmark Sports Agency, LLC.