Rich Paul Refutes Rumors LeBron Controls Teams, 'Didn't Make' Russell Westbrook Trade
LeBron James wields an enormous amount of power because of his on-court performance and stature within the NBA, but his agent wants to make clear the iconic superstar doesn't control roster moves his teams make.
Appearing on The Rich Eisen Show (starts at 30:05 mark), Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul dismissed the "false" narrative that James runs the teams he plays on and specifically cited the Los Angeles Lakers' acquisition of Russell Westbrook in August 2021 as an example.
"The [Russell] Westbrook trade. He didn’t make that trade, contrary to what people try to put out there. He did not make that trade and I know that for a fact."
The larger point is true that James isn't the one in charge of teams he plays for, but there's a more nuanced discussion about the influence superstar players in the NBA have over their organizations.
Paul did acknowledge that James' teams have sought his opinion before making certain moves. That is different than directly controlling what happens, though it can be implied one way or another that certain deals would be preferred.
The Westbrook trade is a good example of this dichotomy. The 2020-21 Lakers had to go through the play-in tournament before losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Phoenix Suns.
A big reason the Lakers struggled that season was because James and Anthony Davis combined to play 81 games due to injuries.
The Athletic reported in September 2021 that James and the Lakers "went recruiting" soon after the previous season ended with the team discussing potential stars they could trade for.
"The process unfolded well beyond the team’s front office’s search, with James setting up a war room of his own at his Brentwood estate for some in-person player meetings while leading remote communications in other conversations," the report said.
Coming out of those talks, as well as others, led the Lakers "to the conclusion that the truculent Westbrook was the best solution on the board."
Things with Westbrook didn't go as the Lakers had hoped, which ESPN's Dave McMenamin noted in January 2024 that every member of the organization involved in the trade "including [LeBron James]—will admit they misjudged it, owning part of the blame."
This isn't to say that James was the one who pulled all the strings on the deal, but he certainly had an input on the Lakers' decision to do it. There's nothing wrong with him using his influence to get the team make a move he thinks might be in their best interest.
There have also been times when the Lakers made moves without consulting James. None of the three biggest names impacted by their February deal with the Dallas Mavericks swapping Luka Dončić and Anthony Davis were informed ahead of time.
Sometimes the superstars are going to have a lot of input in what happens. Other times, the front office will assess the situation and do what they believe is in the best interest of the organization.
James might find out what it's like to be in the executive chair whenever his playing days end considering how much he has talked about owning an NBA franchise someday.
