What happens to Rich Paul when LeBron retires?

[Lalouie]

does lebron's association with klutch impede his move to own a franchise

[SkyBill40]

Because I felt it was necessary. The better question is why anyone would question whether most prolific and successful current agent would be questioned of maintaining his position after a client retires.

I don't think it's that deep, my dude. But thanks for paddling out and dipping in to find out, I guess.

Not sure what you hope to accomplish by saying it ain’t that deep. But to diminish what Rich has done and continues to do is foolish. He just got his new client the big South Sudanese kid from Duke drafted by the Suns his preferred destination.


So when a post is created suggesting he will lose or may lose power because of LeBron retiring I will call out the obvious.

I'm not trying to accomplish anything other than make conversation. That's literally it. And in no way am I trying diminish anything he's done as an agent. His ethnicity, to be honest, really is of no consequence to his success in general. But if you choose to view that in a particular way, well, that's your right.

He's a well known agent with a solid book of business. James retiring will affect him only in that he's losing his largest face but that doesn't mean he's going to drop off the radar or fade into obscurity.

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[Wallace_Wallace]

There won’t be any strong arming teams into trading their players in order help his biggest clients. Aside from that, he’ll be just another regular agent

[jbk1234]

He'll still be a powerful agent because he'll still have a solid roster of clients. He won't be as powerful as he won't have the leverage to effectively force a partnership with a front office and the aprons will lead to real financial restraints. You're already seeing signs that the old leverage plays aren't working as well, not just with Klutch, but with other agents as well.

[Tim_Hardawayy]

LeBron doesn't strike me as someone who'd would let moochers cling to him. Rich Paul and Maverick Carter have done very well by LeBron.

That is 100% his personality, a big reason he gave up a small bit of his salary in Miami was to get Mike Miller, a guy who was on the downswing of his career but a massive LeBron stan. A big reason he left Miami is Riley specifically didn’t cater to LeBron the way his entourage does.

Not trying to say it strictly in the pejorative either, I can see the argument that rewarding subservient loyalty is a good thing, but it’s a trait LeBron absolutely has shown throughout his career.

As for Rich Paul, half of being an agent is having connections and he has that now, so he won’t just disappear. But unless LeBron joins him behind the scenes, the power he wields will be greatly lessened. And the people who are making it about race aren’t getting it at all, a situation where an agent comes out of nowhere as a childhood friend of a potential goat in the sport is pretty unique and deserving of scrutiny.

EDIT: rereading your post, I agree he wouldn’t just reward a blatant mooch who brings nothing to the table. But he would use his influence to lift someone higher than their own skill or talent would normally dictate, most perfect example is Bronny.

[Heat3]

Same thing that happened to David Falk after MJ retired. His influence will wane. They'll probably sell the company and cash in.

[Chuck Everett]

I think he sells a large share of the agency to Lebron… or he sells the agency to then have money to invest into buying a team with Lebron. There is a version where they do both but consecutively of each other too.

Rich Paul is set. It just depends on what Lebron wants to do.

The agency was already sold to UTA years ago (one of the biggest 3 agencies in Los Angeles with CAA and WME). Rich still runs their entire sports division and the label Klutch. It hasn't been independent in over six years.