Ben Simmons new plan of attack for multi-million dollar shoe deal

PROJECTED No. 1 NBA draft pick Ben Simmons has changed his plan of attack in the hope his shoe deal will rake in massive money.

It’s a tough one.

WITH the NBA Draft just over a month away, projected No. 1 draft pick Ben Simmons has changed his plan of attack in the hope to land a bank-busting shoe deal.

The 19-year-old has major offers from both Nike and adidas, but will wait until after Tuesday’s draft lottery to decide which company will own his brand for the next five years, sources told Yahoo Sports.

Adidas has left a five-year, $10 million deal on the table, with the added intrigue of a $2 million signing bonus and a number of money-heavy incentives along the way.

Shoe mega-giant Nike on the other hand are offering the Louisiana State University star a smaller $7.5 million spread across the same time frame, and don’t offer as many cash bonuses along the way.

Nike however would appear to be the brand of choice in the Simmons camp, given his career at Nike school LSU and the dominance of Nike-sponsored athletes on the books at agency Klutch Sports Group, where the Aussie is signed.

A dissatisfaction with the original Nike offer was cited as the reason Simmons and his agent failed to sign a deal prior to the draft lottery, in the hope his draft selection would bump up the monetary figures.

Life will be a lot easier for Simmons if he lands the No. 1 draft pick with the Lakers.

With the franchise’s global cult following, Simmons is hoping the LA Lakers gain this year’s first draft pick, and, if the stars align, recruit him to their ranks.

The membership of such a well known franchise, as well as the possibility of Simmons becoming the new face of the Lakers with the departure of Kobe Bryant, is expected to entice Nike into increasing their offer to lock in the Australian.

Such was the case for Lakers No. 2 draft pick in 2015, D’Angelo Russell.

The 20-year-old was shown a significantly increased offer by Phil Knight’s company to draw him away from a deal with adidas. Russell eventually signed with Nike for $1.2 million per year.

It’s a cunning strategy from the Simmons camp, but a risky one.

With the Lakers only down as a 20 per cent chance of landing the first selection, and Simmons not guaranteed it himself, the Aussie’s selection with a different franchise or a later date in the draft could negatively impact on those offers already dangling in front of his nose.