Chris Paul was once traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2011, only for the trade to be vetoed by commissioner David Stern. Nine years later, it seems the timing is right, and Paul could finally end up in a Laker uniform.
The Lakers never got LeBron and Anthony Davis the third star, and Paul is coming off a stellar season where he led the Thunder to the playoffs when nobody thought they would be.
Chris Paul Wants to Win, and the Lakers Are His Best Chance
CP3 is part of the famous “Banana Boat” crew, consisting of LeBron James, Paul, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwayne Wade. The pieces needed to make this trade work will be a lot of salary going out. LA needs to send out at least $33 million in salary to land Paul as he’s due $85 million over the next two seasons. Kyle Kuzma and Danny Green seem to be at least two pieces of the puzzle for this trade to work. The question is, do the Lakers sacrifice depth for star power at the point?
Would The Lakers be Repeat Favorites with Chris Paul?
Look, Paul would instantly make the Lakers the favorite to repeat. Should the Lakers pull this off, they would be maximizing the window they have with LeBron James. Any franchise that sacrifices a portion of the future to win as many championships as possible while their star player is still capable will always be okay with fans as long as they win multiple titles.
However, Paul is 35, and James is 35; they aren’t getting any younger. So if the Lakers do pull the trigger with this and pursue Paul hard, they better win. Otherwise, it will hurt down the road. Don’t sleep on GM Rob Pelinka, though. He knows not to sacrifice the future for today.
There are other teams rumored to be after Paul, such as the New York Knicks. Look, that is merely the yearly Knicks talk of them getting a superstar. However, we all know it never happens. It should be noted that Carmelo Anthony is rumored to follow Paul. Melo showed a lot of good things in the Blazers bubble run. If Melo follows Paul and signs for the veteran’s minimum, who says no to that?
