Although Chris Paul is still one of the better point guards in the league, the Los Angeles Lakers should not try to trade for him this summer.
Headed into the summer, it is fair to expect that the Los Angeles Lakers will be major players. Given the array of marquee free agents who will be on the market, the Lakers will certainly do their part to pair LeBron James with another star.
Among the names that are available, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, and Klay Thompson stand out from the crowd. While any of those guys would look great in a Lakers’ uniform, the odds of the Lakers getting one of those players are slim.
A lot of the issue right now remains how dysfunctional the Lakers are. While the head coaching saga is finally over, the front office situation remains murky at best. Thus, anyone from outside of the franchise may not want to take a risk with a team that is not operating in a smooth manner.
Sure, the Lakers will always carry that nearly mystical aura. The reason for that stems from their overall rich history. Despite that, though, the way they are currently built is more important than the numerous banners drooping from the rafters.
That being said, certain free agents may not be as easily wooed by the Lakers. The team is still in an awkward state. There is no getting around that.
As a result, the Lakers may have no choice but to explore the trade market this summer. It is not ideal, but if plan “A” does not pan out, it is reasonable to think trades may be considered.
Of course, all eyes are going to be fixated on Anthony Davis due to how connected he was to the Lakers this season.
However, the purple and gold may look beyond Davis if they are unable to reel in a big name free agent. Chris Paul is a possible player the Lakers could target.
The possibility was originally put out by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN a few days back. Upon saying that the Houston Rockets are looking to recalibrate their team this summer, Paul’s days in Texas may be numbered.
Sean Deveney of Sporting News recently wrote an article about Paul, claiming that he could be a “face-saving” piece.
"Charlotte and Miami are among the teams that could be interested in Paul. Phoenix is weighing its options at point guard, but there is an outside chance they’d get involved. And keep an eye on the Lakers or Knicks – it’s likely that one of them will strike out in free agency and need a face-saving trade to rescue the summer. Paul is a face-saving trade target."
At this stage of his career, that is what CP3 really is: a face. Deveney could not have worded it better in terms of deeming Paul as a “face-saving” player.
While he is still a very good point guard, it is difficult to put him in that elite category. He is just not the kind of player he once was.
Over the last couple of seasons, there has been a clear regression with respect to how he plays. His numbers are not at the same level they were in his previous six years with the Los Angeles Clippers.
When 2018-2019 is looked at, Paul averaged 15.6 points and 8.2 dimes a night. The points per game happened to be a career worst for him.
For most players, that stat line would not be too shabby. However, when it comes to CP3, it is hard to argue the same.
For a long time, Paul was an All-NBA caliber guy. Currently, trying to say he belongs in that category would be silly.
During this year’s playoffs, the point guard was not at peak level, either. He averaged 17.0 points a night to go along with 5.5 assists.
Albeit those numbers are not terrible, they do not scream “superstar.” Because James is getting no younger himself, getting another player who is well past 30 is probably not the best move L.A. could make.
Certainly, James and Paul get along quite well off the court. That would admittedly be positive if the two ultimately teamed up.
Nonetheless, the Lakers should not do something only if it makes the team “look good.” Appearance is not everything and the 6-foot guard is not nestled on the top shelf category of NBA players anymore.
Just because Chris Paul used to be a superstar does not qualify him to be a potential candidate. If the Lakers got him, too, they would have another gigantic contract on their hands.
As Wojnarowski reminds us, CP3 has three years, $124 million left on his contract. Although Paul is still a serviceable guard, he is not worth that kind of cheddar.
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The Lakers would not be doing themselves any favors on account of their desire to get back to their old ways. Moreover, it does not produce a sustainable product.
Because Paul is 34, it means the Lakers would face a not so lovely problem in a couple of years. They would need to essentially find a replacement because Paul may only be relevant for another couple seasons.
Part of the issue with the guy, too, is his health. The backcourt player participated in only 58 regular season games for Houston in 2018-2019, and the year prior he only played in 58.
Thus, if the Lakers got Paul, they would be acquiring an individual that is not durable. Due to how bad injuries plagued them this past season, adding CP3 would not make a whole lot of sense. Literally, it would add insult to injury.
Additionally, it is important to think about Paul’s salary again. Imagine the Lakers trying to figure out how to make all of that work.
Gabe Zaldivar of Forbes recently delved into why a CP3 to the Lakers trade would be irrational.
"Paul has a cap hit of $38.5 million next season. The Lakers’ next highest guaranteed salary behind James is Ball at $8.7 million followed by Brandon Ingram at $7.2. million. The no. 4 pick is worth about $7.1 million in respect to any salary matching for a hypothetical trade.Essentially, the Lakers would still have to get mighty creative and clear a ton of money off their roster to land Paul in a deal."
Frankly, that is probably not the most intelligent idea in the world. The Lakers would be sacrificing quite a bit to get someone who is declining. That would be foolish on their part.
Certainly, in 2011 the thought of getting this point guard to play with Kobe Bryant was incredible. That would have made the Lakers a force to be reckoned with.
However, while it sounds intriguing, a James-Paul tandem is not wise. Granted the two are friends, the Lakers should not make this kind of trade just to please LeBron.
They need to do what is best for the team, and, for the various reasons outlined above, trading for an aging player like Chris Paul would be preposterous.
Hopefully, the Lakers will be smart enough to not make this happen. Doing this would be more of a step back than a step in the right direction.