Ex-Kings executive believes LeBron James and De'Aaron Fox's agent Rich Paul 'blackmailed' teams in trades

A former Sacramento Kings executive believes Rich Paul, the agent of players such as LeBron James and De'Aaron Fox, blackmailed teams in trades. Peja Stojakovic shared earlier this week that the Kings could have gotten more for Fox if Paul hadn't interfered in the negotiations.

On the NBA Mozzart Podcast in Serbia, Stojakovic explained the workings behind the scenes in Sacramento. He thought that the Kings would have had a better return from other teams, but Paul used his influence to blackmail in favor of his clients.

"I still believe Sacramento has good players despite them trading Fox," Peja said, according to Basketball Network. "It seems there was a directive from his agent, Rich Paul, who played a key role and blackmailed the teams on which player was supposed to get traded where. He brought Fox to the Spurs and Zach LaVine, who is his player, brought him to Sacramento.

"By doing this, he limited Sacramento from a business standpoint, stating that they get a bit more from this trade with Fox if they had the same discussion with some other teams in the NBA."

Rich Paul is one of the biggest agents in the NBA, and his job is to give his players the best contracts and put them in the best position to win. However, if blackmail is involved, it's something that the league might need to investigate.

Peja Stojakovic hasn't been an executive for the Sacramento Kings since stepping down as the assistant general manager in 2020. He served in the team's front office for five years. He also played for the Kings from 1998 to 2006 and won his only championship in 2011 with the Dallas Mavericks.

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Rich Paul's list of clients in the NBA

Rich Paul's list of clients in the NBA. (Photo: IMAGN)

Rich Paul was initially known as LeBron James' agent before founding Klutch Sports Group and signing several NBA stars. It has grown over the years, with around 40 players represented by Klutch.

James is still his biggest client, along with other stars like Anthony Davis, De'Aaron Fox, Zach LaVine, Draymond Green, Brandon Ingram, Jordan Clarkson and Tyrese Maxey, among others. LeBron's son, Bronny James, is also a Klutch client.

Apart from NBA players, Paul also represents other athletes like Jalen Hurts, Myles Garrett, JuJu Watkins, A'ja Wilson, Jewel Loyd and Allisha Gray. They are expected to expand to other sports, like European football.