LeBron James says Rich Paul comments not reflective of his own thoughts on Lakers

Lakers star LeBron James moved quickly Tuesday to create distance between himself and recent trade chatter sparked by his longtime agent.

James told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that comments made by Rich Paul on his podcast do not reflect LeBron’s views or come with his approval.

“Rich is his own man,” James said. “What Rich says is not a direct reflection of me and how I feel.”

Paul, speaking on the Game Over podcast with Max Kellerman, suggested the Lakers should consider trading Austin Reaves and a future first-round pick to pursue the Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr. Paul framed the idea around roster balance and building around Luka Doncic long term.

James pushed back on the notion that Paul’s public analysis doubles as a message from him.

“I have zero conversations about what his topics are going to be,” James said. “That’s his platform.”

Reaves, who is sidelined with a left calf strain, is eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2026 and is widely expected to opt out of his player option. He averaged 26.6 points, 6.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds in his first 23 games this season.

According to McMenamin, one of Reaves’ representatives spoke briefly with Paul during Tuesday’s game. James said there is no issue between him and Reaves.

“AR knows how I feel about him,” James said.

Jackson acknowledged hearing the comments but brushed them off, via The Athletic’s Joe Vardon. Jackson said he initially wondered if the clip was even real.