A New York state judge has refused to “issue a court order preventing” Excel Sports Management’s former head of off-court basketball marketing from working for Klutch Sports. New York Supreme Court Justice Robert R. Reed on Wednesday said that noncompete agreements “should only be enforced to prevent direct client poaching.” Excel’s concern about losing third-party customers, the judge said, is “not basis enough for a court order forcing Eways to leave his job.” Excel’s lawyer at the virtual hearing had argued that a “preliminary injunction is necessary to stop” Eric Eways, who took over Klutch’s player sponsorships division, “from convincing the brands that partner with Excel’s players … from absconding for endorsement deals with Klutch’s own clients.”