With the NBA's offseason and free agency yet to commence, it’s hard to say which players will end up where and what blockbuster trades or moves, if any, will happen this summer. The Los Angeles Lakers are one team in particular that will undoubtedly need to make some roster moves to make a deeper playoff run come the 2024-25 NBA season.
Will the Lakers trade away future assets and role players to try to add a third superstar like Donovan Mitchell or Trae Young? Will LeBron James decline his player option and become a free agent, shaking up the foundation of the Lakers’ current roster as we know it? Depending on who the Lakers hire as their next head coach, what will that mean for the roster and the current system at play?
With all of these questions looming, one player that has been linked to the Lakers with regard to him joining the lineup next season is Chris Paul.
Yes, Paul is no longer in his prime, and his remaining seasons in the NBA are limited. He's 39 years old and already took a step in the “second unit” direction this past season with the Golden State Warriors.
However, I think Paul could add something to whatever Lakers lineup Rob Pelinka and Jeannie Buss put together come September. So, here are seven reasons why the Lakers should add Chris Paul to their roster:
1. Potential veteran presence among young guards
First off, and I think the most important reason why Chris Paul and the Lakers would work, is he can serve as a veteran mentor to some of the current Lakers guards.
Again, it’s still up in the air who will still be with the Lakers guard-wise after this offseason, but a player like Austin Reaves, who has been a key piece of the Lakers’ success the last few seasons could benefit from Chris Paul-driven mentorship.
Reaves has already had that with James, but to have someone who has been referred to as the “Point God” for much of his career in his corner would only add to 26-year-old's guard play.
Paul is no longer in the stage of his career where he can be a primary option or a player a team can lean on consistently for 25 points a night. Off the bench, as a veteran, and in a mentor role, Paul would thrive.
If D’Angelo Russell sticks around, he's also someone who would benefit from being around a seasoned player like Paul. Even a Gabe Vincent or a Max Christie would benefit from having Paul on the roster.
Having a veteran presence is crucial for any successful team—especially one with younger players. Just ask the Miami Heat and Udonis Haslem, or last year’s NBA champs the Denver Nuggets, which had players like Jeff Green, Ish Smith and DeAndre Jordan on their roster—contributors but more so mentors than anything else.