Los Angeles Lakers news: LeBron James tries to put out fire after agent’s Austin Reaves remarks

While his agent suggested sending Austin Reaves to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Jaren Jackson Jr, LeBron James has insisted that he had nothing to do with the idea.

A strange dynamic has emerged in Los Angeles. Although the Lakers ended their losing streak with a win over the Atlanta Hawks, inspired by a strong performance from James, the “King” was forced to address questions about his agent, Rich Paul. Paul has recently stepped into the media spotlight himself and has been offering transfer advice to the Purple and Gold.

On his podcast with Max Kellerman, the agent floated the idea of trading Reaves for Jackson Jr.

“I think everyone knows this by now: Rich is his own boss, and what Rich says is not a direct reflection of how I feel. I hope people understand that. And if some people are not sensible enough to understand it, then I do not know what to tell them,” James told ESPN.

But do his own teammates understand that position? And how does Reaves feel about the agent of one of his teammates publicly suggesting that the Lakers should trade him?

“AR knows how I feel about him. You just have to watch us on the bench. AR and I talk every day. So AR knows how I feel, and I hope that AR, or the people around him, do not look at me thinking that those are my words coming through Rich,” James added.

Austin Reaves’s agent discusses the situation with Rich Paul

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer also insisted that Paul did not consult him before launching into the podcast.

“That is what Rich does. That is his thing. He does what he wants and talks about what he wants, but I have absolutely no discussions with him about the topics he is going to address or what he is going to talk about. He is his own boss and it is his platform,” the Lakers forward continued.

Internally, however, ESPN and other sources have confirmed that Rich Paul’s comments caused some unrest and rubbed several people the wrong way.

Last month, Paul had already claimed that the Lakers were not genuine title contenders due to a lack of physicality and size. His suggestion of trading Reaves for Jackson Jr clearly fits into that logic, and it is difficult not to interpret it as a form of pressure.

According to ESPN, Reggie Berry, one of Reaves’s agents, approached Paul at half time of the game against the Hawks to discuss, among other things, the publicly stated trade ideas.

This article was originally published on Basket USA.