NERLENS Noel is filing a lawsuit against one of the NBA’s most prolific agents.
The former sixth-overall pick claims that agent Rich Paul and his agency Klutch Sports cost him $58million in free agency.
2
Nerlens Noel is in an ongoing legal battle.Credit: Getty
2
Rich Paul (L) is a close friend of LeBron James.Credit: Getty
Paul is a longtime friend of LeBron James, and while James was building an empire on the court, Paul was doing the same on the sidelines, accumulating stars for his agency.
Some of these include the likes of James, Anthony Davis, Draymond Green, and Ben Simmons.
Noel, 29, was a former teammate of Simmons when the two played together for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Noel’s lawsuit says Paul wooed him at Simmons’ birthday party in 2017, telling Noel he could be worth a “$100million man.”
Noel says that after hearing this, it convinced him to switch agencies and work with Paul.
According to the lawsuit, the Dallas Mavericks offered him a four-year, $70million contract in 2017, when Noel was a restricted free agent.
Instead of taking the money, Noel refused because of Paul.
The lawsuit says Paul advised Noel to turn it down and instead accept the one-year, $4.1million qualifying offer, allowing Noel to become an unrestricted free agent the following summer, where he would have a chance at signing an even larger deal.
Paul swayed Noel and told him he could get a “max” deal next summer, resulting in the biggest mistake in Noel’s NBA career.
In the following 2017-18 season, Noel tore a ligament in his hand and missed 42 games.
Noel averaged a career-low in points, rebounds, and blocks while only playing in 30 games, killing his value for the upcoming free agency.
After his stint in Dallas, Noel signed a two-year, $3.7million minimum deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2018, followed by a one-year, $1.9million contract with the Thunder the following year.
This was a far cry from the four-year, $70million Noel was initially offered from the Mavericks.
Last season, Noel signed a one-year, $5million contract with the Knicks.
Now it’s up to the court to determine the verdict.
