What the trade means for the Los Angeles Lakers
Hypothetically, the trade is completed. Chris Paul after 9 long years is now a Laker.
What does this mean for the Los Angeles Lakers?
Well firstly for the Lakers, they are after trading 1/3 of the team to land Chris Paul, however, it will be relatively easy for the Lakers to find several veterans willing to take the veterans minimum to compete for a championship.
Players such as DeMarcus Cousins and Justin Holiday could come in to fill the role left by the likes of JaVale McGee and KCP but the Lakers could potentially use their mid-level exception and get the Banana boat crew back together and bring in Carmelo Anthony.
With the Lakers likely to trade Kyle Kuzma to avoid paying him significant money going forward with his next contract, bringing Melo in short term lessens the blow of Kuzma’s scoring as they will be adding one of the most accomplished shooters in recent NBA history.
It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to see fellow banana boat crew member Dwyane Wade come out of retirement to play with his best friends in the NBA.
But wait, what about Giannis in 2021?
If we as Lakers fans can be honest with ourselves, the likelihood that Giannis leaves the Bucks is slim to none at this moment in time. The current NBA climate is incredibly volatile.
With COVID-19 and the scandal with Daryl Morey in China, the NBA cap has the potential to be decimated over the next 2 to 3 years. If Giannis wants to maximize his worth, he signs the biggest contract in NBA history with the Bucks and secures the bag.
Nothing is stopping him from seeking a trade in the future similar to what teams are trying to do now to land Bradley Beal even after he signed a massive extension with Washington.
The best thing the Lakers can do at this moment in time is to maximize the short window they have with LeBron and AD. With LeBron and Chris Paul’s contracts expiring around the same time, it would be easy for the Lakers to build around the Summer of 2022 to surround AD with talent.
With the likes of James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant all having player options in 2022, this gives the Lakers room to potentially form another big 3 if they can get contracts lined up together.