The Brooklyn Nets and Houston Rockets are nearing a deal to send James Harden to Brooklyn, multiple league sources told Front Office Sports. The deal isn’t “official,” but sources say a deal is in place and the two teams have a “verbal agreement.” 

Harden had a chance to become the first player in NBA history to earn more than $50 million per year after the Rockets offered him a two-year, $103 million extension on top of the three years, $133 million remaining on his current deal.

Global Connection: If a deal goes through, it would further help establish the Nets as a global brand, something Joe Tsai set out to do when he took over full ownership of the team in August 2019 in a deal valuing it at $2.3 billion. Harden had the third-highest selling NBA jersey in China in 2018 — his potential future teammates, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, ranked fourth and fifth, respectively.

The final round of the 2020 Masters saw its viewership plunge 48% year-over-year as the tournament faced stiff competition from the NFL. Recording a 3.4 rating, the 2020 tournament set a new low mark for a Sunday at Augusta dating back to 1957.

Average viewership dropped to 5.59 million viewers from 10.81 million viewers in 2019, when Tiger Woods won the green jacket. This year’s tournament, won by Dustin Johnson, was postponed from April due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

The U.S. Open also saw a 56% decline in viewership after being moved to September from June.

2020 Masters Average Viewership by Round:

• First Round: 2.20 million viewers, down 11% from 2019
• Second Round: 2.74 million viewers, down 14%
• Third Round: 4.99 million viewers, down 42% 
• Fourth Round: 5.59 million viewers, down 48%

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee has a new plan to give more athletes ways to gain brand exposure and earn money off of their name, image and likeness — a step towards leveling out the top-heavy Olympic sponsorship landscape. 

The new “Athlete Marketing Program” is entirely voluntary and gives athletes three ways of connecting with Team USA’s existing sponsors:

• A $1,250 payment for signing up to allow for their NIL to be used in group marketing situations with three or more athletes from different sports. 
• Earning royalties from licensed merchandise that features their NIL.
• Signing and negotiating individual endorsement deals with existing Team USA sponsors. 

Select top athletes will get invited to join the pilot program for the AMP in January 2021.