High-profile NBA agent told teams to not draft client during draft: report

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Chris Livingston became the 2023 NBA Draft's "Mr. Irrelevant" on Thursday, but there may have been a plan for that all along.

According to The Athletic, Livingston's agent, Rich Paul, was calling teams during the second round of Thursday's draft telling them not to select his client.

Why would an agent want his client to drop? Well, Livingston apparently was told he was going to be selected by the Milwaukee Bucks.

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Chris Livingston poses for a portrait after being drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2023 NBA Draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Thursday. (Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

Livingston had workouts with seven teams, but on June 8, he canceled them all, The Athletic noted. That's when it was believed a team had promised to draft him.

That team apparently turned out to be Milwaukee, who took him with the 58th and final selection of the draft.

An NBA basketball sits in a rack before a game between the Detroit Pistons and the Charlotte Hornets at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on March 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

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The New York Post notes that second-round picks can now be signed on longer-term deals.

Livingston spent one season at Kentucky, averaging 6.3 points and 4.2 rebounds in 22.4 minutes per game. He started 26 of his 34 games.

Rich Paul looks on during the 2023 NBA Draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Thursday. (Michael J. LeBrecht II/NBAE via Getty Images)

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Paul is the longtime agent and friend of the NBA's all-time scorer, LeBron James.