Rich Paul of Klutch Sports may be known by many for his relationship with Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, but he’s a powerful figure all around the NBA world.
Paul represents dozens of NBA players, making him the type of person that teams likely want to stay on good terms with whenever possible.
However, there was reportedly a stretch where Paul and the New York Knicks did not have a good relationship, leading to the veteran agent being reluctant about doing business with the franchise.
Fortunately for the parties, it sounds like the situation has improved.
With the Knicks-Klutch impasse as the backdrop – which we've reported on previously — the team and Rich Paul met today and "things were hashed out," a source told The Post. Focus now moving forward with better relationship.
— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) February 2, 2024
Earlier this season, Knicks insider Ian Begley provided some valuable context on the matter.
“I’m told that Paul remains reluctant to do business with the Knicks, who are led by team president Leon Rose and executive vice president William Wesley,” wrote Begley in December. “Rose was a top agent at CAA before he took over the Knicks; Wesley was a consultant for the agency before he joined Rose in New York.”
The fact that Paul and the Knicks now seem to have a relationship that’s trending in the right direction is good news for New York, and it’s just another positive development amid a stretch that’s been full of them for the franchise.
The Knicks are currently on a nine-game winning streak, and with a 32-17 record, they hold the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference. New York has exceeded the expectations of many this season, with star guard Jalen Brunson helping the squad take things to new heights.
Brunson just earned the first All-Star nod of his NBA career and celebrated by dropping 40 points on Thursday.
As for the Lakers, they just earned a gritty win over the Boston Celtics and are back to .500 on the season. It hasn’t been a perfect campaign for Los Angeles, but the squad is still in the postseason mix in the Western Conference and remains dangerous from a talent perspective alone.
There was some recent speculation surrounding James’ immediate future with the Lakers, but Paul made it clear that the future Hall of Famer isn’t going anywhere this season.
As long as that’s the case, the Lakers will remain one of the most intriguing teams in the league, and coincidentally, they’ll be in action on Saturday for a game against the Knicks.
