Chris Paul is one of the best point guards to play the position in NBA history. The 12-time All-Star will be available on the free agent market this offseason. The Los Angeles Lakers should not want to take that route.
Paul still has gas left in the tank, that is not the issue. The veteran guard averaged 8.8 points, 7.4 assists, and 1.3 steals during 28.0 minutes per game for the San Antonio Spurs in 2024-25. The future Hall of Famer even played in all 82 games, starting each one.
However, the potential fit of the 11-time All-NBA member is certainly questionable. Are there reasons to view Paul as an attractive signing? There certainly are. Are those reasons outweighed by the concerns of how an aging Paul would mesh with the roster? Ultimately, the answer is yes.
Cons of adding The Point God overshadow pros
Paul can still bring the most reliable part of his skill set to any team he signs with this offseason. The Point God is an all-time floor general and can undoubtedly still play his part to orchestrate an offense, even at the age of 40 years old.
The midrange assassin has even been able to find consistency shooting the 3-point ball in his recent seasons. Paul has hit above 37 percent of his attempts in the last three campaigns of his long career.
Jovan Buha did a great job highlighting some of the issues with adding the Spurs guard to the roster on a recent episode of Buha's Block. The Lakers insider made sure to point out the obvious links between the two sides as well.
Buha reminded everyone the 'breadcrumbs' that Paul left during his appearance for the The Pat McAfee Show. The all-time great mentioned how being difficult it has been being away from his family. They just so happen it live in Los Angeles.
The Lakers reporter then went onto point out one of the main issues, that is shared here as well, when it comes to adding Paul. That would be his size.
"Small guards, it's really becoming harder to play them in the playoffs," Buha told viewers. "The pendulum has swung where size is the invogue thing in terms of roster building."
That alludes to the defensive concerns that featuring Paul as a key bench player would bring. The Lakers have already struggled defending on the perimeter. Paul is pretty far removed from his nine All-Defensive Team selections.
On top of that, there will always be the rotational issue of keeping him and Luka Doncic away from each other. The Lakers were given Doncic on a silver platter this past season and this addition would be wasteful to team-building around him.
Doncic and Paul both operate best with the ball in their hands. A lack of overwhelming off-ball value from either hurts the ceiling of having both on the floor. Their minutes would almost need to be juxtaposing.
This isn't to say it could not work to some capacity. However, it just creates another problem for JJ Redick that needs to be solved. Lineups with both would hinder the ceiling of what each player can best offer.
Having a backup who can both operate as the initiator and effectively play off Doncic would be preferable. Guards like Austin Reaves and Kyrie Irving have proven to be closer to the mold of what is effective.
It's not that Paul would be a terrible signing for the Lakers. It's just that in terms of maximizing the building of a contender around Doncic, there are better options to explore.