Rich Paul on Klutch Sports' past beef with the New York Knicks: "People have their alliances"

Previous reports have revealed that sports agency Klutch Sports and the New York Knicks front office were not seeing eye-to-eye. The rumored rough relationship has prevented the Knicks from acquiring certain players, some of whom belong to the Klutch Sports organization.

In an appearance on the "7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony and & Kid Mero" podcast, Klutch Sports chief Rich Paul addressed these rumors, noting that while there might have been some beef in the past, everything is sorted now.

Squashing the beef

Paul hinted that the tension wasn't that serious in the first place. In his view, people tend to gravitate toward individuals on the same wavelength. The Knicks and Klutch Sports simply had different philosophies, and people—especially the media—blew it out of proportion.

"There ain't no smoke. People have their alliances, and that's fine, it happens in our league. Media picks up on certain things, and they know me well, and they know how I'm going to handle my business. We had a conversation, and it was clear, and he (Knicks president Leon Rose) was like, 'I can totally see where you are coming from.' But the industry knows what's up, and it's just part of it," Rich explained .

Reports claim that part of the Knicks' failure to sign key players was due to this rumored beef with Klutch Sports. Paul's impressive client base includes names like Malcolm Brogdon, Anthony Davis, Zach LaVine, Tyrese Maxey, and Dejounte Murray, amongst many more.

Some even claim that this iffy relationship hurt the Knicks' chances of luring LeBron James when the four-time MVP was a free agent in 2018. New York was reportedly one of LBJ's preferred destinations, along with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Wrong narrative

RP said that a player's destination is determined by his talent, the demand for it, and the money. A sports agency's relationship with a team's front office has little or no bearing on the deal, but the media likes to pit the two parties against each other.

"The way this thing works is that talent always has options," Paul continued. "If I have the right player and the Knicks got the right money, and he wants to be there, he'll be a Knick. It's just as simple as that. But that doesn't stop the alliances from running around the tabloids."

At this point, we just have to believe Paul's word that he has no beef with Rose and the Knicks. They just have different philosophies and alliances. However, if one of Rich's clients fits seamlessly with what NY has to offer, then Klutch Sports and the NYK would gladly seal a sweet deal.

Related: “Only about 2% of players in our league that actually have power” - Rich Paul breaks down the power struggle between owners and players