Lakers' first marquee signing under JJ Redick feels painfully obvious

Barring a drastic shift, all signs are pointing to JJ Redick becoming the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Shams Charania's latest report (and Redick dancing around said report) all but confirm that Redick will be named the next head coach. Lakers fans will just have to wait until after the NBA Finals until it is official.

While nothing is official yet, fans can still start projecting what the team might do with Redick as the head coach. First off, Los Angeles hiring LeBron James' podcast co-host probably indicates that he is going to return to the team after all. It is hard to imagine the Lakers making this hire if they were unsure about LeBron's future.

This hire could impact how the team builds out the roster for the 2024-25 season as well. While Rob Pelinka still calls the shots, Redick's coaching style and connections in the league may change who the Lakers look to target.

And if that is the case, there is one marquee name that makes a lot of sense to be the first big signing that the purple and gold make after hiring Redick: Chris Paul.

Chris Paul makes all the sense in the world for the Lakers with JJ Redick as head coach

Redick played with Paul on the Los Angeles Clippers and obviously has an affinity for the future Hall of Famer. Relationships create situations in the NBA and this relationship isn't the only one that Paul has with the Lakers.

Paul is also very good friends with LeBron James and there has been talk for many years now about the two teaming up for the first time. LeBron has played with every other member of the Banana Boat Crew (Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony) so it might be time for him to check Paul off his list.

Plus, we are now in a place where this makes sense for the Lakers financially. Paul didn't make sense last year because of his bloated contract and how it would have restricted the team. But as an unrestricted free agent this summer, with his age, CP3 might just be looking at a MLE-type deal (at most).

As it stands right now, Paul is still on the books for the Golden State Warriors. However, the veteran point guard's $30 million salary is non-guaranteed. With harsher tax apron penalties and a bloated payroll, it would be shocking if the Warriors didn't outright release Paul to save money.

That would pave the way for Paul to sign a smaller deal for the Lakers. It makes sense in a business sense for all parties involved, but whether or not it works in a basketball sense remains to be seen. Both LeBron and CP3 are ball-dominant players who initiate the offense and there might be a bit of clashing between the two styles.

In a perfect world, Paul can be the new version of Rajon Rondo for the Lakers off the bench. Rondo played a huge role in the Lakers' 2020 title run, and Paul could do the exact same thing.