Former Lakers guard ditches LeBron James, Klutch after fumbling the bag

There is no denying that Klutch Sports has influence over the decisions that the Los Angeles Lakers make. LeBron James’ agency, which is run by his close friend Rich Paul, has coincidentally made a lot of deals with the Lakers in recent years.

The influence did not appear to be as heavy this summer but in the summer of 2022 the Lakers brought in several Klutch clients (Juan Toscano-Anderson, Lonnie Walker IV, Troy Brown Jr.) to join the several Klutch clients that were already on the roster.

For some of these players, it has worked out nicely. For other players, not so much. One such player who ended up getting the short end of the stick in all of this is Kendrick Nunn, who is officially ditching Klutch Sports and joining Octagon Basketball.

https://twitter.com/OctagonBsktball/status/1689438830930112512

Kendrick Nunn ditches Klutch after Lakers situation goes sour

It is hard to imagine how things could have gone any worse for Kendrick Nunn over the last two seasons. He definitely did not do himself any favors by getting hurt and playing the way he was playing but in the long-term, signing with the Lakers may have been the worst move he could have made.

The former Miami Heat guard signed for the Taxpayer’s Mid-Level Exception. At the time, it was accepted that Nunn would play one year in LA, recoup his value, and sign a bigger contract the following offseason.

The problem is that Nunn did not play in his first season with the Lakers, so he was forced to accept the player option for year two of his deal. Then Nunn struggled immensely in LA and was eventually traded for Rui Hachimura.

Here is the kicker: Nunn himself admitted that he turned down more money to join the Lakers for a chance to win a championship. While he definitely still had the final call, it probably isn’t a coincidence that the Klutch client took a discount to join his fellow Klutch clients on the Lakers to help them win a championship.

Now, two years later, Nunn has made less money and is in a place where his value has never been lower. He is partly to blame as well, but you cannot blame the once-promising guard for ditching the agency that may have contributed to him going down this path.