Lakers drama erupts after LeBron James’ agent pushes Austin Reaves trade
Rich Paul of Klutch Sports has apparently ruffled some feathers within the Lakers over his recent comments the club should trade away 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 installment of his “Game Over” podcast, Paul — who is the agent and close confidant of Lakers superstar LeBron James — explained that the club needs Jackson Jr. as an “anchor” to build around Luka Doncic, and suggested multiple scenarios to make it happen.
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“I can confirm that people have not been happy,” Buha said Tuesday on his podcast. “I’m not going to go more specific than that. But I will just say people have not been happy with that pod and some of the comments.”
Buha also brought up Paul’s previous comments, when he said last month that 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… That is uncommon for an agent to be commenting on his player’s team to this degree and saying basically say ‘I would trade this guy,’ especially for a guy who’s sort of in contract competition for his client,” Buha said.
James separated himself from Paul’s comments after the Lakers’ 141-116 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday.
“I think you all know by now, 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 Crypto.com Arena. “And I hope people know that. I hope people know that and if they’re not sensible 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 at halftime of Tuesday’s game and they talked 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 the topic.
“AR knows how I feel about him,” James said of his longest-tenured teammate. “All you got to do is look at us on the bench. Me and AR talk every single day. So, AR knows how I feel about him and I hope AR — or his camp — don’t look at me and think this is words from me are coming through Rich.
“Rich has his perspective of what he sees, I have my perspective. I’m a grown man, he’s a grown man and I think people should realize that grown men can say whatever the f— they want to say and it shouldn’t reflect somebody else is saying it.”
James told ESPN that he and Paul did not discuss Paul entering the podcast space before he and Kellerman launched their show last month.
“If I was the Lakers I would be targeting the Memphis Grizzlies as a trade partner for Jaren Jackson,” Paul told Kellerman Monday. “If you’re building around Luka you need that anchor. Jaren doesn’t want to be apart of a rebuild… if you’re able to trade out expiring and trade the last 1st you got or you can withhold and give up less but this comes with a more unemotional attachment because Austin is beloved. There’s a world you can do what’s best for your team, and what’s best for Austin. Austin deserves to get paid… Memphis would definitely pay Austin. He would become their leading scorer and PG.”
Reaves has yet to address Paul’s comments publicly.
This is the second time in the past month that James has been asked about Paul’s public comments regarding the Lakers.
“I personally don’t think the Lakers are good enough to be contenders, not right now,” Paul said last month on his podcast after the Lakers lost to the Spurs in the NBA Cup quarterfinals.
“I don’t think they have enough to get to WCF.”
After that, 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 type of damage we can do in the postseason in December, that’s not right for the basketball gods,” James said.
The Lakers are currently 24-14 and the fifth seed in the Western Conference.
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