The Los Angeles Lakers already have the oldest player in the NBA on their team in LeBron James, but another elder statesman of the league could be on his way to the locker room in the coming weeks.
Point guard Chris Paul, an all-time great and one of James’ close friends, saw his tenure with the Los Angeles Clippers end this week when the team parted ways with him, citing conflicts with his reputed in-your-face brand of leadership.
“Paul and his leadership style clashed with [head coach Tyronn] Lue and the Clippers, according to sources, who told [Shams] Charania that the 12-time All-Star was vocal in holding management, coaches and players accountable,” Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN wrote Wednesday, December 3. “The Clippers felt that Paul’s style had become disruptive, sources told Charania.”
With Paul now a free agent, having already declared the 2025-26 campaign to be the final in a career that will surely culminate with a Hall-of-Fame selection, the 40-year-old guard will have his choice of teams. And while there could be several in the mix for Paul’s services as a backup point guard, the Lakers make sense for several reasons, including that Paul’s family resides in L.A.
“The Los Angeles Lakers have an open roster spot and could be an option next month, but they are not allowed to sign a 15th player until Jan. 19,” Bobby Marks wrote Wednesday when outlining the most likely landing spots for Paul.
Also included on the list were the Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets, among a handful of other options, though several teams will face second-apron issues and/or must open a roster spot to add Paul.
Chris Paul Among Best Point Guards in NBA History
GettyChris Paul, formerly of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Paul is not only a 12-time All-Star, he has also been a member of an All-NBA team on nine occasions and is one of the best offensive and defensive point guards to ever play the position.
He boasts career averages of 16.8 points, 9.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 2.0 steals across his 21-year professional career (1,370 games played). He is second all-time in both assists and steals.
Paul would potentially fit better with the Lakers than most teams given James’ presence in the locker room and a strong leadership structure already in place, from head coach JJ Redick down to James and co-stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Lakers Must Be Wary of Adding Another 40-Year-Old in Chris Paul Alongside LeBron James
GettyLeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers wouldn’t need Paul to do anything except play 12-16 minutes per game in a role running the point off the bench to ease some of the lift for the team’s primary ball-handlers/creators.
The main issue is whether Los Angeles wants to invest its final roster spot on another player already over the age of 40. The NBA game is as fast and hyper-athletic as it has ever been, and slower and older teams like the Clippers have literally struggled to keep pace — and Paul was a part of that before he hit the bench on a permanent basis.
James missed the first 15 games of the season with sciatica and is playing himself into shape. He has appeared in just five contests so far this year. That said, he has looked closer to his age in recent games and his averages are way down across the board.
It is possible that James will return to form after not being able to work out and play late in the preseason, missing his regular ramp up. But the Lakers also need to consider adding wing defense and potentially more depth to the front court, which could render Paul a luxury this particular version of the team simply can’t afford — regardless of his actual salary price.
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