NBA free agency kicked off yesterday, June 30, and there was a fair share of player movement, whether that being staying or changing teams.
This is the time when agents work their magic and get their clients some paydays. The most notable winner of the first day of free agency was Rich Paul, CEO of Klutch Sports Group. He was responsible for getting lucrative deals for the upper echelon of this year’s class.
Now Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet agreed to a 3-year, $130 million contract, the first max contract given in free agency this year. The Portland Trail Blazers retained forward Jerami Grant on a five-year, $160 million deal. Lastly, the Golden State Warriors agreed on a 4-year, $100 contract for veteran forward Draymond Green.
These contracts caused some discussion regarding whether these players were paid fairly, but Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James decided to share his thoughts on his close friend Paul via Twitter.
And y’all still wanna question is Rich Paul is the H.I.M. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. It says a lot about you if you not feeling us. I told him less is more it’s plenty of us
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 1, 2023
James being arguably Paul’s biggest client helps bring to light the intensive work agents have to do with negotiations and being able to maximize every player’s financial earnings. Paul founded Klutch Sports Group in 2012 and has grown a powerhouse representing some of the biggest names in the league.
Some other notable deals received by Klutch clients: Chicago Bulls guard Zach Lavine: 5-year, $215 million (last summer), Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland: 5-year, $197 million, and lastly, getting James an extension with Los Angeles, last August: 2-year, $97.1 million.
While the first two days of NBA free agency have passed, Paul is not quite done wheeling and dealing. It is rumored that Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson and Toronto Raptors guard Gary Trent Jr. are working on extensions with their respective teams.
Lakers re-sign Austin Reaves
One of the two biggest priorities for the Lakers was keeping guard Austin Reaves. There was chatter of teams with cap space, like the Houston Rockets or San Antonio Spurs, throwing a big offer sheet to test Los Angeles.
Fortunately for the Lakers, it didn’t turn out to be a bidding war for Reaves, with no offer sheets signed by the rising star, which would’ve forced the team’s hand as free agency got underway.
Ultimately, the Lakers were to get Reaves to agree to a four-year deal with the team worth $51 million.
This deal secured Reaves’ future with the team and was perhaps the biggest offseason win so far for Rob Pelinka and company.