Super-manager Rich Paul has been taking over NBA headlines ever since his client Anthony Davis expressed a desire to be traded away from the Pelicans. But now the Boston Celtics reportedly think Paul went too far as they believe he started the rumors that Kyrie Irving will leave Boston during this summer's a free agency.
According to Sean Deveney of Sporting News, Boston believes Paul and Davis were falsely circulating stories about Irving's future in hopes to sway the Pelicans away from dealing AD to the Celtics.
"The Celtics were annoyed by the story of Irving having eyes for New York," Deveney said. "Not because of Irving, but because they felt the story was planted by Davis’ agent, Rich Paul, in order to scare the Pelicans into thinking Boston would back off making a trade offer for Davis in July if Irving left."
These rumors were accompanied by Davis' father letting it be known that he does not want his son to play for Boston, with some already believing AD will make future decisions based on what his dad says. That perceived validity led the Knicks to deal away Kristaps Porzingis in hopes to make cap room for the two double max players like Irving and Davis, putting pressure on Boston come July 1.
Although the Celtics may want to point the finger at Paul, it should be noted that Irving himself has changed his tune about re-signing with Boston. Despite being fully committed to the franchise during the pre-season, the moves of good friend Anthony Davis have Kyrie sitting in a different position. This combined with suspicions that the Pelicans engaged in dirty negotiations with the Lakers just to disrupt L.A.'s chemistry makes the allegations against Rich Paul not as "cheap and underhanded" as New Orleans would like fans to believe.
