New York Knicks hub, Nerlence Noel, sued former agent Rich Paul and his company, Clutch Sports, on Monday, alleging he lost $58 million in potential salary while Paul represented him from 2017-20.
Noel took action after Kloch recently filed a complaint with the National Basketball Players Association alleging Noel failed to pay $200,000 in commission for his previous one-year contract with the Knicks, multiple sources told ESPN.
Noel claims breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract and negligence. The lawsuit does not state a specific amount of damages, but does ask for actual and punitive damages.
Paul declined to comment.
The lawsuit, filed in Dallas County, Texas, centers around a decision made in July 2017 when Noel was a restricted free agent for the Dallas Mavericks. Noel averaged 8.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in 22 games for the Mavs after being traded in the middle of the previous 76ers season.
At the start of the free agency in 2017, agent Happy Walters represented Noel. Noel claims in the lawsuit that the Mavericks offered him a four-year deal worth $70 million, a figure that was reported by various media outlets that summer. During Operation Free Agency, Noel said he fired Walters and hired Paul after they met at his birthday party. Ben Simmons In Los Angeles.
Paul represents several NBA All-Stars, including Simmons and LeBron James.
In the lawsuit, Noel said Paul advised him to pass the $70 million offer and accept a one-year contract so that he would be an unrestricted free agent the following year when Paul said he could give Noel a more lucrative contract. Noel eventually rejected the deal and signed his qualifying one-year offer of $4.1 million.
The following season, Noel broke his thumb and missed 42 games as his numbers plummeted. He did not re-sign in Dallas and played the next two seasons for the Oklahoma City Thunder, bringing in $3.7 million in reserve. He then played last season for the Knicks, earning $5 million. Noel stayed with Paul throughout the four decades.
Noel claims in the lawsuit that Klutch did not make him a priority as a free agent, did not respond to teams seeking to sign him as a free agent and failed to honor a multi-year contract with Thunder. Noel Paul sacked last season after signing with the Knicks.
After starting 41 games for the Knicks and playing solid defense, finishing third in the NBA with an average of 2.2 blocks per game, Noel signed a three-year contract with the Knicks this month that guarantees him $27.7 million with another $4.1 million in potential incentives. The deal was negotiated by agent George Langberg.