Over the past few weeks, there have been reports of growing friction between the Lakers, head coach Rob Pelinka, and Klutch Sports.
With tensions seemingly at a boiling point, Rich Paul himself confirmed (through Shams Charania) that not everything is not as it seems for the Purple and Gold.
“Rich Paul told me there are no issues between him and the Lakers, there are no issues between Klutch Sports and Rob Pelinka. He told me there are no issues between LeBron and the Lakers. Rich is an agent that has a history of going on the record. If he feels a certain way, he’s not afraid to hide it. So for him to say that, and he did go on the record with me, and he said there’s no friction.”
https://twitter.com/vkillem/status/1496577096000610304
Of course, the validity of Paul’s claim has been questioned. His loyalty is to Lebron James, not to the fans or the media.
Still, the NBA super-agent also shot down some of the rumors through Stephen A. Smith as well.
“Rich Paul called me yesterday and asked me to quote him on this story about him, and Klutch Sports, and essentially them wanting the Lakers to trade Russell Westbrook and a first-round pick to Houston for John Wall. He wanted me to state emphatically that there was absolutely, positively no truth to that whatsoever. He never did that. He did not do that. The people who wrote the story never contacted him to get any kind of perspective from him on that,” said Stephen A. on First Take.
“It is an absolute lie, and he said ‘could you please do me a favor and quote me and tell the world that I specifically said that’s a damn lie. There is no truth. It never happened.’ Just for what it’s worth, that’s what Rich Paul says about these stories that have been put out there. Fair enough. So I quoted him.”
The Lakers have endured a rough season. Despite the acquisition of Russell Westbrook over the summer, the team has played poorly since October and there are no clear solutions on how to turn things around.
With the trade deadline in the past, the Lakers have no choice but to work with who they have and make the best of their situation.
The good news is that, no matter what the rumors are saying, James is apparently still as dedicated as ever to the Purple and Gold. Let’s hope it stays that way for a while longer.
