Rich Paul Facing Backlash For Stopping LeBron James Trade To Warriors

Fans are not happy after a new report claimed that Rich Paul stopped a trade discussion that would have paired LeBron James with Stephen Curry on the Golden State Warriors.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Los Angeles Lakers "would have reluctantly entertained" a LeBron trade with the Warriors had James asked them to have serious discussions about it. Unfortunately, Paul, who serves as James' agent, put a stop to the potential move before it even took off.

"League sources say that the reported talks between the teams at the time never got that far in large part because James’ agent Rich Paul was adamantly opposed to the idea of LeBron James swapping Southern California for Northern California," Stein wrote in his Substack newsletter.

"Sources say Rich Paul implored both teams to scrap the concept... largely because he wanted to insulate James from potential backlash over switching teams for the fourth time in his career."

Hoops fans got a glimpse of what a LeBron James-Stephen Curry pairing could look like during the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Curry averaged 14.8 points in six games, with his best performances coming during the semifinal and final where he scored 36 and 24 points, respectively, to lead Team USA to the gold medal. Meanwhile, LeBron James bagged the tournament MVP award after averaging 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists.

Furthermore, Curry and James showed great chemistry on the court, with the two often celebrating and hyping up each other. After seeing that, fans actually wished for the two to team up in the NBA.

Having said that, the fact that fans were denied of that opportunity because of Rich Paul ignited plenty of complaints.

"Rich Paul denied us great hoops," a critic commented . Another one shared , "Rich Paul fumbled."

"Thanks a lot Rich Paul. We missed out on watching the greatest duo of all time win ring #5 together," a social media user added .

"Officially public enemy number 1," a commenter furthered . A fifth detractor said , "Why let this dude make decisions?"

"Rich Paul a generational hater for this man smh," a critic wrote .

It would have been great to see Curry and James play together in the NBA. Considering their age--Curry is 36, James is 39--a trade last season would have been their best chance to team up and make some noise.

Now, fans are simply left dreaming of a big "What If," thanks to Paul.

Related: LeBron James In Disbelief Over New Video Of Steph Curry's Viral Olympic Shot