Photo: Andrei Daescu Seen Play-Testing New CRBN Pickleball Paddle

Is the Romanian big-man making a move from Proton?

Rumors have been swirling for months that Andrei Daescu could be leaving Proton for a new paddle sponsor.

'Tis the season, after all – dozens of top pros have switched paddle brands since late last year, chief among them:

• Anna Leigh Waters (Franklin)
• Gabe Tardio (Facolos)
• Rachel Rohrabacher (Friday)
• Dekel Bar (11Six24)
• Zane Navratil (Paddletek)

And the list goes on and on.

But a few major question marks remain among pros whose paddle deals are done or rumored to be done. JW and Jorja Johnson have left Franklin and appear to be free agents; they each played PPA Mesa with a JOOLA.

And then there's Andrei Daescu. The Romanian big man is ranked #5 in both men's doubles and mixed doubles on the PPA Tour, and has been a Proton loyalist for years.

Until now. We're hearing Andrei has been testing models from CRBN and seems to like what he feels. So much so, he could be officially joining the paddle brand soon.

A picture taken recently and provided to The Dink shows Andrei swinging CRBN's new TruFoam Barrage, which launches on March 17.

We've reached out to both CRBN and Proton for confirmation and will update this article accordingly with any new information.