LeBron Distances Himself From Rich Paul Over Reaves Trade

LeBron James moved to separate himself from comments by his agent Rich Paul, who on a podcast suggested trading Lakers guard Austin Reaves for Jaren Jackson Jr. James told ESPN, "Rich is his own man and what Rich says is not a direct reflection of me and how I feel," and added "AR knows how I feel about him." The remarks upset people inside the organization, and Reaves’ agent Reggie Berry even approached Paul after a game. Merlin sees trouble when powerful voices speak in public. Paul’s suggestion turned a media thought experiment into a locker room headache because Reaves is the team’s clearest trade chip and Los Angeles has limited movable pieces. With LeBron’s influence and a delicate clubhouse, expect the front office to tamp down talk while quietly weighing upgrades.