Klutch Sports is notorious for its ties to LeBron James. Because of the close relationship between Bron and Rich Paul (who is now President of the club), any big-name star who signs with Klutch is usually seen as having some connection to Bron as well. These suspicions were validated when Anthony Davis joined the Lakers just a few weeks after signing with Kutch.
Trae Young is the most recent star to sign with the group and, just like Davis and Draymond Green, people have begun to speculate that he may eventually join the Lakers.
However, according to his father, Rayford Young, you shouldn’t hold your breath on that prediction.
“I wish people would look at his history,” Rayford said, via Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. “He’s never been a follower. When he won the Nike EYBL Peach Jam, he could have went to a super team after that. He turned down going to Oak Hill Academy, which is one of the top prep schools. People told him in high school that he wouldn’t be an All-American or a top recruit if he went to a local high school in Norman, Oklahoma. He averaged 44 points his senior year and was an All-American. Then they told him that he wouldn’t be a first-round pick if he went to Oklahoma. Calipari sat in our living room and told him, ‘If you want to be a lottery pick, you better come to Kentucky.’ He stayed with Oklahoma. He’s never been a follower. This whole thing with Klutch never had anything to do with going to play with the Lakers one day. They have a lot of people on their roster who aren’t with the Lakers.”
Besides him signing with Klutch, there isn’t actually any signs that Young is considering a move to the Lakers. He is the face of Atlanta is has not yet finished out his rookie contract.
It’s more likely that Young joined Klutch because of their prominence in the NBA community and their recent hiring of Omar Wilkes (Young’s longtime agent) as President of basketball operations.
Either way, don’t expect Trae to follow the bandwagon. In the words of his own father, he’s “never been a follower.”
