LeBron James’ long-term agent Rich Paul has evolved into one of the most successful sports agents of all time. Paul recently appeared on JJ Redick’s Old Man and the Three podcast to talk about his overall journey. He spoke at length about the kind of strategies that he used, including the importance of selecting contract lengths for his clients. The interview was part of the recent episode 178 of the podcast, released on 19th October 2023.
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Just 76 days after Rich Paul negotiated a three-year, $186,000,000 contract for LA Lakers superstar Anthony Davis, he claimed that he personally would not have offered the three-year deal. However, Paul talked about the importance of always doing the right things for his clients, even if it represented less money for himself.
The superagent said that despite Davis arguably not deserving the contract, he had to put his opinion aside and do what was required for the player’s best interests.
Rich Paul does not believe Anthony Davis deserved 5-year-deal
Paul was talking about how Davis himself had no reason to be signing a 5-year-deal. He talked about how the Lakers have been losing “every year,” and the fact that he himself was not dependent on the commission.
However, the fact that the Lakers were committed to keeping hold of Davis meant that signing the contract was in his best interests. Paul talked about how he had to do what was best for the player despite his own personal beliefs and opinions,
“In Anthony Davis’ case, he had no business signing a 5-year deal to begin with, because at that time, what did the team show that warranted them to have you committed for five years, because it is going back to the ego and it is going back to the agent, right. I am in a totally different position because my life isn’t dependant on a commission, right? So when I started this company, my focus was always doing what was best for the client. That is one of our things internally. Always do the best thing for the client, even though we didn’t make any money as a company. I am not signing Anthony Davis to a 5-year deal at that time. They are losing every year.”
Paul, as an agent, perhaps was well aware that he would eventually be able to get Davis even better deals had they held out. However, he was looking to maximize his own earnings and instead did what the player wanted, which was to sign a long-term deal with the Lakers despite the lack of success in recent years.
Rich Paul claimed Anthony Davis’ contract was a result of his work ethic
According to SB Nation, the LA Lakers were also concerned with Davis’ injury history during negotiations for the new deal. He claimed that while AD had had constant troubles, the franchise understood that it wasn’t quite his fault.
Instead, Davis had simply been unlucky and had constantly worked to keep up fitness. He had never shown up late, or shown any laziness during training.
That, in addition to what he brings to the table for his team, meant that AD was always getting his big contract. Of course, Paul’s presence made matters quite a bit easier.
