With Chris Paul potentially looking to play in Los Angeles next season, do the Lakers make sense as an option?
There are few examples as notable of a player and team dancing around one another than the Lakers and Chris Paul.
If not for the devious David Stern, Paul would have been a Laker and had a long, successful career leading them to multiple championships. Instead, we were given one of the most controversial moments in recent league history, and the beginning of CP3 and the Lakers circling one another.
After his tenure with the Clippers came to an end and, perhaps more specifically, LeBron James joined LA, the rumors kicked up once again. In hiring head coach JJ Redick, they effectively only increased the likelihood and intensity of those rumors.
To that point, Paul appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday and was asked about his future. While he didn’t mention any team or where he wanted to play explicitly, he did talk about his family, who are based in Los Angeles, and wanting to be around them.
“I talked to my family about it. My son just turned 16. My daughter’s 12. The past six seasons, I’ve lived without them. So I go to San Antonio, Phoenix, Golden State, OKC. I’ve been around a few teams. But I’ve been away from them the past six years. So, it’s a little different.”
Inevitably, Paul is going to be linked to the Lakers at some point this offseason. The question is, does it make sense anymore?
When the Lakers were built around LeBron and Anthony Davis, the answer was a little clearer as they had a clearer need and hole at point guard. Now, with Luka Dončić, the questions are a lot more abundant.
First, this is a deal that doesn’t happen if Paul doesn’t take the veteran’s minimum. The Lakers have too many needs to spend any extra resources on signing an aging point guard.
Second, it likely only happens if the Lakers trade Gabe Vincent. Having one small point guard is a tough challenge to overcome. Having two of them is basically impossible to play, especially if you also have Luka.
Third, there would be a certain level of trust that both LeBron and Redick would make clear what his role would be, which is a backup playing very limited minutes.
If all of those conditions were met, then there’s a chance that Paul could be an option that makes sense. He probably wouldn’t be the preferred solution as a defender would make more sense as a backup guard than a traditional point guard. But on the minimum, you could do worse.
However, it feels way more likely that Paul and the Clippers are a better fit. Paul has an extensive history playing with Harden and playing for the franchise. As many things as the Lakers have going for them when it comes to signing, the Clippers have as well.
However, that certainly won’t stop the rumors, so prepare for them now!
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