Kyrie vs CP3: Which star point guard should the Lakers sign?
Who should the Lakers sign?
Kyrie Irving is a better scorer, shooter and overall basketball player at this point in his career. The 31-year-old should be just as good next season and likely a few beyond it. If the Lakers sign Chris Paul, there is the danger that he could age poorly and become an unusable player by the time the playoffs roll around.
Even so, the pick here is clearly Paul, if he is willing to come and sign for the MLE (or less!). That allows them to let D’Angelo Russell walk but otherwise bring back Rui Hachimura, Dennis Schroder and other role players. Clearing space to bring in Kyrie would give them a starting lineup (Kyrie, Austin Reaves, LeBron, Jarred Vanderbilt and Davis) but nothing else.
Paul is a more reliable player, and his ball-handling and passing will be an excellent fit with Anthony Davis. His maturity will likely allow Darvin Ham to sit Paul in crunch time when the matchup dictates it, and not worry he will lose him. The Lakers have one, maybe two more shots at this thing. They can’t waste it on a player who might decide to journey to the corner of the earth in the midst of the season.
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The Lakers seemed to have no options a year ago, and now they have a whole host of them. How they decide to navigate the next month and who they decide to sign and re-sign will dictate whether the end of LeBron’s prime is spent competing for a championship or not.