Rich Paul and his recent comments on a podcast have caused an uproar with the Los Angeles Lakers, and now a league executive has called out the Klutch Sports founder for what he calls a major misstep.
Paul suggested the Lakers should trade Austin Reeves to the Memphis Grizzlies for Jaren Jackson Jr. He also publicly stated that the Lakers' current lineup is not yet a strong contender for the championship.
The comments immediately sparked internal frustration, which, according to Jovan Buha, only intensified privately.
Now, an executive is speaking out about the agent.
“I don't know what Rich is doing,” the NBA executive told Lakers Daily. “We've never seen an agent of a star player go on a podcast and say something so weird while the star player is still playing. Are the Lakers a contender? Oh my gosh, no. But you can't say that out loud. Now everyone on the Lakers team wants to know if LeBron is saying that behind the scenes.
“The Austin-Jalen trade idea is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. Rich is smarter than that. I don't know why he did it. You heard that Jack [LaRavia] Said a few weeks ago that there was a disconnect in the locker room. I wouldn't be surprised if he was referring to Rich's comments.
“Everyone knows LeBron loves Austin, so why would Rich say that? He ruined all the good vibes the Lakers had. This team will never recover from this. Things are going to get ugly.”
Paul represented four Lakers players – LeBron James, Bronny James, Jared Vanderbilt and Adu Tierro – which only heightened the tension surrounding his comments.
Within the organization, there are concerns that his public criticism is creating unnecessary noise in a season already rife with inconsistency and injuries.
READ MORE: Lakers frustrated with Rich Paul's podcast comments: Report
