Heat finally sign Klutch Sports client amidst longstanding tensions

Klutch Sports is a sports agency founded in 2012 by Rich Paul, whose most notable client, LeBron James, did not have a happy ever after with the Miami Heat in 2014. When James left, current Heat president Pat Riley took the departure personality as he publicly expressed disappointment about LeBron's decision. In the years following the departure, Riley continued to make indirect comments about James' exit from Miami.

Since then, the Miami Heat have signed no players from Klutch Sports and have remained the only team not to sign any Klutch Sports client since the agency was formed. That was until July 3, when guard Alec Burks signed a one-year deal with the Heat.

Could the Alec Burks signing pave the way for the Miami Heat to land an All-Star Klutch Sports client in the future?

Players the Heat have reportedly targeted over the years, such as Dejounte Murray, Zach LaVine, Malcolm Brogdon, Jerami Grant, and Jordan Clarkson, are all clients of Klutch Sports. It may have just been a coincidence that the Heat were the only team not able to acquire a Klutch Sports client since the agency formed, but it does raise the question of whether Riley's beef with LeBron is part of why no Klutch Sports clients have found their way down to South Beach. 

While the recent signing of Burks may be seen as a small step, it could potentially open the door for other Klutch Sports clients to join the Miami Heat. One name that has been circulating is De'Aaron Fox, who is reportedly not signing a contract extension with the Sacramento Kings this offseason.

Anthony Slater and Sam Amick of the Athletic reported that the Klutch Sport Client "has decided not to sign an extension this year, in part because he wants to see how the Kings roster takes shape for the long haul." The former all-star has two years left on his deal and was a former teammate with current Heat star Bam Adebayo at Kentucky. He is definitely a name to look out for.

Miami has ended the 12-year drought of signing a Klutch Sports client, but we shall see what the future holds for the relationship between the Heat and one of the NBA's most prestigious agencies.