Marcus Morris denies Rich Paul had role in turning down Clippers

Rich Paul has developed a successful roster of clients as an NBA agent, but he’s best known for his handling of LeBron James. That has sparked a lot of rumors that, even in his dealings with other clients, he’s looking out for James’ best interests.

That chatter intensified when Paul client Marcus Morris turned down a three-year offer from the Clippers, then backed out of a two-year deal with the San Antonio Spurs to ultimately land with the New York Knicks. In his first comments since that happened, Morris affirmed that Paul never dissuaded him from going to the Clippers, and they’re still cordial despite the fact that they parted ways after the Spurs debacle.

“All this stuff that (Paul) didn’t want me to go to the Clippers and didn’t want me to go against LeBron (James), that’s not true,” Morris told Shams Charania of The Athletic. “He never told me not to take the deal. For as long as I’ve known Rich — and that’s still someone I have love for and that’s still my guy — he has been great in terms of advice. He told me he wanted me to take the Clippers deal. He gave me his advice.

“It was my decision and I had to make the best decision for me and my family.”

In other words, Paul wasn’t to blame. Morris says Paul wanted him to take the deal with the Clippers, and that he wanted Morris to honor his word to the Spurs. Morris made the decision to turn down both opportunities to play in New York, which led to him and Paul parting ways.