Rich Paul of Klutch Sports has apparently ruffled some feathers within the Lakers over his recent comments that the club should trade fan favorite Austin Reaves to the Memphis Grizzlies for two-time All-Star big man Jaren Jackson Jr., according to reporter Jovan Buha.
During Monday’s episode of him Podcast ‘Game Over’Paul – the agent and confidant of Lakers superstar LeBron James – explained that the club’s Jackson Jr. needs as an ‘anchor’ to build around Luka Doncic, and suggested multiple scenarios for this to happen.
“I can confirm that people have not been happy,” Buha said on his podcast on Tuesday. “I’m not going to get more specific than that. But I just want to say that people are not happy with that pod and some of the comments.”
Buha also brought up Paul’s previous comments when he said so last month the Lakers are not championship contenders on his and Max Kellerman’s podcast
“It’s one thing to think that privately, one thing to put that out publicly… It’s unusual for an agent to comment on his player’s team to this extent and say, ‘I would trade this guy,’ especially for someone who is kind of contract competition for his client,” Buha said.
James distanced himself from Paul’s comments after the Lakers’ 141-116 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday.
“I think you all know by now that Rich is his own man and what Rich says is not a direct reflection of me and how I feel.” James told ESPN on his way out of the Crypto.com Arena. “And I hope people know that. I hope people know that and if they don’t have the sense to know that, then I don’t know what to tell them.”
One of Reaves’ agents, Reggie Berry of AMR Agency, approached Paul on the sideline during halftime of Tuesday’s game and they chatted for more than five minutes about Paul’s public trade scenario regarding Reaves, according to ESPN.
James made it clear that he and Paul have different perspectives on this topic.
“AR knows how I feel about him,” James said of his longest-tenured teammate. “All you have to do is look at us on the couch. AR and I talk every day. So AR knows how I feel about him and I hope AR – or his camp – doesn’t look at me and think these are words of mine coming through Rich.
“Rich has his perspective on what he sees, I have my perspective. I’m a grown man, he’s a grown man and I think people need to realize that grown men can say whatever they want to say and it shouldn’t reflect on anyone else saying it.”
James told ESPN that he and Paul had not discussed Paul entering the podcast space before he and Kellerman launched their show last month.
“If I were the Lakers, I would target the Memphis Grizzlies as a trade partner for Jaren Jackson,” Paul told Kellerman on Monday. “When you build around Luka, you need that anchor. Jaren doesn’t want to be part of a rebuild… if you can trade the expiration and trade the last 1st you have, or you can hold back and give up less, but this comes with a more emotionless attachment because Austin is loved. There is a world where you can do what’s best for your team, and what’s best for Austin. Austin deserves to get paid… Memphis would certainly pay Austin. He would be their leading scorer. and P.G.”
Reaves has not yet publicly addressed Paul’s comments.
This is the second time in the past month that James has been asked about Paul’s public comments about the Lakers.
“Personally, I don’t think the Lakers are good enough to be contenders, not right now,” Paul said on his podcast last month after the Lakers lost to the Spurs in the NBA Cup quarterfinals.
“I don’t think they have enough to go to WCF.”
Afterwards, the 41-year-old James said he wasn’t focused on the postseason.
“I can’t think about what we can do in the playoffs in December. … Talking about what kind of damage we can do in the postseason in December, that’s not good for the basketball gods,” James said.
The Lakers are currently 24-14 and the fifth seed in the Western Conference.
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