A podcast featuring the agent of LeBron James and several other prominent NBA athletes. How much harm could it really do? Well, if the murmurings are true, certainly more than zero for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jovan Buha was asked whether he could confirm the unhappiness growing from the Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul podcast within the Lakers organization. The Lakers reporter was careful with his words, but he did offer a notable statement on the situation.
Buha said, "I can confirm that, yeah, people have not been happy. I'm not going to go more specific than that, but I would just say people have not been happy with that pod and some of the comments."
The host of Buha's Block pointed to a couple of instances, specifically, where Paul's words have raised eyebrows. For one, the consistent take about the Lakers not being contenders. Another has been the recent discussions surrounding a swap of Austin Reaves and Jaren Jackson Jr. It's hard to completely dismiss the idea of this all being a distraction for Los Angeles.
Rich Paul's podcast creates an unprecedented issue for the Lakers
Buha said the obvious part about all of this on his show that makes this situation as odd as they come. Agents don't openly talk about their player's teams to this degree. Furthermore, the Lakers reporter added the extra layer of concern from having that agent also publicly discussing the idea of trading a player from their client's squad.
Paul's podcast does have moments that make it worth a listen from a fan standpoint. However, from a team perspective, it can be understandable why having these discussions out in the open with James' agent as the messenger would be an issue.
Paul has stated previously he is not operating as a 'mouthpiece' for James. Even if that is the case, one could hardly fault anyone within the organization for thinking there may be an overstep with the topics, or the way they are being handled on the air.
This would all be a lot easier for the franchise if Paul and Kellerman just avoided the Lakers. However, given who this team is, there is obviously a ton of appeal in having those conversations. It should not be a news flash to anyone that Los Angeles is the most popular organization in the NBA.
The built-in audience is there. The subjects, being Paul and Kellerman, offer an entertaining — albeit, at times, insufferable — listen. Unfortunately for the Lakers, any potential problems brewing here may not go away too quickly.