“Players know Rich [Paul] is trying to get them traded” – NBA agent on why players are extremely hesitant to play alongside LeBron James originally appeared on Basketball Network.
LeBron James is like many NBA superstars. But he, in some ways, is also unlike many NBA superstars.
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He doesn’t only bring lore and media attention when he walks into a locker room. He brings an entire orbit of influence, which is something that can make a franchise bend in ways it never has before.
That influence is powered in part by Rich Paul, James’ close friend and agent, whose presence in NBA front offices has been called everything from “progressive” to “disruptive.”
In 2018-19, the Los Angeles Lakers were a circus. Luke Walton was on the hot seat. Magic Johnson walked away as team president without warning, and the fallout of his exit ranged from teary to downright vicious behind the scenes stories. Trade rumors swirled so loud they could be heard over the squeak of sneakers.
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And right in the middle of it all sat Paul and his agency, Klutch Sports, accused by some of pulling strings behind the scenes.
The Klutch factor
That season, multiple team sources told ESPN that Paul met with NBA commissioner Adam Silver and used the moment to tell him flat-out that Luke Walton, who was hired in 2016, wasn’t the right man to coach the Lakers. He even suggested Tyronn Lue as a replacement. While that kind of lobbying might not be unheard of, it sent ripples through a coaching staff already feeling the heat.
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Under Johnson and GM Rob Pelinka, the Lakers gave agents unprecedented access to the facility. Some applauded it as keeping pace with the rest of the league. Others thought it was dangerous. Paul’s presence stood out — from riding on the team’s charter plane to openly discussing Walton’s rotation decisions. Coaches noticed, and according to some inside the locker room, so did the players.
It was during this stretch that one anonymous agent dropped a quote that summed up the atmosphere perfectly.
“Coaches know Rich is trying to get them fired, and players know Rich is trying to get them traded,” the agent said.
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It was a trust problem.
When whispers spread that Klutch was working to package young Lakers players in a trade for a superstar, some on the roster began wondering if they were just placeholders until Paul could orchestrate a bigger move. One former Laker even called Paul’s presence on the charter plane a “culture killer.”
Rich fired back
To Paul, the criticism was noise. He’s been called plenty of things, but being timid wasn’t on the list. In his own words, “I understand my position. I respect all those in our industry. At the end of the day, all I can do is continue to do a job for my client. That’s it. I can’t worry about what somebody thinks, the perception. All I can do is work hard and continue down the path that I’m on.”
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That path has been a winning one. Paul represents some of the NBA’s biggest names and has negotiated hundreds of millions in contracts. He’s turned himself into one of the league’s most powerful figures, and his loyalty to his clients — especially James — is unquestioned.
But power draws resistance. For coaches, the idea that a player’s agent can openly question their decisions and survive to tell about it feels like a threat to authority. For players, the thought that the man sitting courtside with your superstar teammate might also be the one engineering your exit is enough to make you look over your shoulder.
The Lakers did win a championship in 2020, but the residue of that chaotic 2018-19 season is history that fuels the negative perception of Klutch Sports’ role in team dynamics. In a league where player empowerment is at an all-time high, Paul is both the poster child and the lightning rod.
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Whether you see him as a mastermind or a meddler depends on where you sit. But one thing is certain: when Rich Paul is in the building, everybody pays attention — and some start worrying about their job security.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 10, 2025, where it first appeared.