Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is separating himself from comments made by his agent, Rich Paul, about a potential move the franchise should make.
Paul, the head of Klutch Sports, appeared on his podcast ‘Game Over’ that he co-hosts with former ‘First Take’ star Max Kellerman and said the Lakers should consider trading fan favorite guard Austin Reaves to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Jaren Jackson Jr.
‘If you’re building around Luka [Doncic] going forward, which they are, you need that anchor,’ Paul said. ‘And Jaren doesn’t want to be a part of a rebuild.’
Paul, who is engaged to British pop star Adele, went on to say that a hypothetical trade would involve a 2031 or 2032 first-round pick, some expiring contracts and Reaves in exchange for Jackson and Memphis forward GG Jackson as a developmental piece.
‘This comes with a very unemotional attachment because Austin is beloved, which he should be, he’s an underdog,’ Paul said. ‘There’s a world where you can do what’s best for your team, and do what’s best for Austin. Because Austin deserves to get paid.
‘Now, I love him as a Laker, but if that was a situation where we’re getting balance — because if you put all the money into just the backcourt and then your flexibility is restricted going forward to fill out the rest of the team, then [building a full roster is challenging].’
LeBron James (R) is distancing himself from a trade comment made by his agent, Rich Paul (L)
Paul suggested the Lakers should trade Austin Reaves (R) for Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr (L)
While the idea of pairing a 26-year-old center in Jackson with a 26-year-old guard in Doncic sounds like a solid matchup in theory, it is certainly a ways off from actually happening.
This led to James clearing the air with reporters after a 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.’
James added that he didn’t consult with Paul on the latter’s choice to pivot to the media sphere before the launch of the podcast.
‘Rich, that’s what he’s doing,’ James told ESPN. ‘That’s his whole thing. That’s what he’s doing.
‘That’s what he’s talking about, but I have zero conversations about what his topics are going to be or what they are going to talk about. He is his own man and that is his platform.’
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Paul was approached at the game by Reaves’ agent – Reggie Berry – and spoke with him for five minutes about Paul’s publicly announced trade scenario regarding Berry’s client.
James also made it clear that Paul is ‘his own man’ and that he ‘knows what he’s doing’
Reaves is a fan favorite in LA and James says that Paul’s comments had no effect on their bond
James added that things between him and Reaves have not been affected by his agent’s comments.
‘AR knows how I feel about him,’ James told ESPN. ‘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.’
