When Rich Paul left Leon Rose’s Creative Artists Agency in 2012 to pursue his own business, the odds were stacked against him. In the past 12 years though, Klutch Sports Group has managed over 500 athletes and about $4 billion in deals, cementing its stronghold in player representation.
Advertisement
“I can’t beat the competition in all these other areas. But where I can beat them at is care,” Rich Paul stated during his exclusive with Boardroom co-founder, Rich Kleiman. Paul expanded on what he offered to his new clients during the interview.
“That care transitioned into, ‘Hey, I’m just going to focus on getting guys 20 to 30% over market…I’m going to focus on taking a guy like Eric Bledsoe and getting him more money than Kyle Lowry, when Kyle Lowry was an All-Star,” the Cleveland native explained.
This was in 2014, when Bledsoe had just had a career year with the Phoenix Suns, averaging 17.7 points, 4.7 boards, 5.5 assists and 1.6 steals. However, across the border, his contemporary, Lowry, was outscoring Bledsoe while dishing out more assists.
Both players entered free agency as highly coveted guards but thanks to Rich Paul’s negotiation, Eric Bledsoe received a 5-year $70 million deal while Lowry returned to the Raptors on a 4-year $48 million contract. “KCP called me after that,” Paul revealed.
The sports agent’s ability to protect his client’s interests helped him attract new clients. But it also soured his image in the front office. Bledsoe famously tweeted, “I Dont wanna be here” just three games into the 2017 season. Though he claimed that the tweet was about a hair salon appointment, then General Manager of the Suns, Ryan McDonough, shut Bledsoe down and traded him to Milwaukee a month later.
The former GM would comment on the fiasco and fire indirect shots at Bledsoe’s agent, Rich Paul. “I think Eric’s a good person. I think he’s unfortunately gotten some bad advice and is listening to the wrong people,” McDonough told Arizona Sports Radio.
Another front office that Paul had to overcome issues with is the New York Knicks, whose president of basketball operations is his former employer, Leon Rose. Though the origin of their disputes is unknown, it can be assumed that Rose wasn’t happy with Paul’s departure. Fans also conjectured that the Knicks were favoring clients from Rose’s former agency, CAA, over players represented by Klutch.
However, with mounting dissatisfaction on both sides, Paul met with the Knicks in February of this year to hash out their differences. For Rich Paul too, this was an important move, as superstars will want opportunities to play for the biggest market team in the NBA. Though none of his clients are currently playing at Madison Square Garden, that might soon change.
