Agents don’t like it when you start messing with their turf. And it’s no different for LeBron James and the power apparatus of Klutch Sports led by his agent Rich Paul. Even the appearance of Klutch Sports influencing the Lakers staffing choices is a turn-off for potential free agents.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe cited a conversation with an unnamed ‘powerful’ agent who said that for his players, a President of Basketball Operations or a front office with strong ties to LeBron is a no-go.
“Who they hire in the front office is going to be absolutely crucial to replace Magic, because there are two orbits here: There’s a Lakers orbit … and then, the more interesting one is, there’s a LeBron orbit. And I’ve had some powerful people in the league, including a powerful agent who represents lots of key players, tell me, ‘We don’t want the person to be from either of those orbits. We don’t want the new GM, or president, or whatever, even to have some sort of connection to LeBron. We need it to be a fresh start. My players don’t want to have the impression that LeBron is running the team.’”
Obviously, agents speaking aren’t speaking in a vacuum. They have their own angles as well, but this touches on something many have wondered about for a while. Other NBA players aren’t pleased with the perception that a player on their team is actually running the show rather than just being their teammate. Even when that teammate is the most famous player in the game.
But while this bit of league chatter is notable, the Lakers have bigger problems than the perception that James is running them. One of those problems is the fact that Rob Pelinka is leading a head coaching search as the team’s general manager after two less-than stellar seasons on the job and a reportedly rough reputation among the league’s power-brokers.
