The Nerlens Noel and Rich Paul saga is just getting started.
Noel is suing his former agent, saying he cost him $58 million in earnings after Paul allegedly advised him to leave his current agent, sign with him, and turn down a $70 million contract offer from the Mavs in 2017 because he could get $100 million contract offer.
That obviously didn’t work out, and Noel signed $4.1 million and then broke his thumb the next season.
According to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, agents around the league cheered when they saw the lawsuit. Many agents aren’t happy with how things can happen in league with players and agents and how agents can “influence” a player’s decision to leave their current agent because another one can get them more money.
Here are the teams that Nerlens claims Paul never reached out to.
The lawsuit claims Paul never informed Noel of Philadelphia’s interest in bringing him back—that he later only heard the intel from coach Brett Brown, who said Philly’s front office was unable to reach Paul. The 76ers, and the team’s coaching staff in particular, were indeed interested in Noel before Philadelphia ultimately shifted its pricier sights onto Al Horford, sources confirmed to B/R.
Noel goes on to allege that the Clippers and Rockets also attempted to contact Paul that same offseason, also to no avail. League sources confirmed this detail to Bleacher Report as well. “Nerlens was always somebody we really liked in Houston and definitely tried to get in touch with,” one former Rockets official said. “But my understanding is it never got very far.”
Maybe that is a solution, and maybe it isn’t, but it’s a player’s choice to make at the end of the day. But then again, when you have someone like Rich Paul telling you he can get you $100 million, you probably believe him because he has success getting players huge deals. Also, if Noel doesn’t get hurt, he could very well have gotten the contract.
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