Most of the focus on what the Los Angeles Lakers need this offseason has been about adding a center. However, the team needs some more depth.
Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic and LeBron James can all operate as point guards, but are also versatile enough to do other things well. For years, Chris Paul has been linked to the Lakers.
He even almost got traded to the team before former NBA commissioner David Stern vetoed the deal. Paul has been in the NBA for 20 years and spent this season with the San Antonio Spurs.
The problem for him is that his family lives in Los Angeles. Paul recently expressed disappointment that he’s had to spend so much time away from his family.
“My son just turned 16,” Paul said on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “My daughter is 12. The past six seasons, I’ve lived without them. I go to San Antonio, Phoenix, Golden State—they were in Houston with me—Oklahoma City. … I’ve been around a few teams, but I’ve been away from them the last six years. It’s a little different. That’s the conversation.”
This led to him suggesting that he’d like to be back in Los Angeles.
“I want to hoop because I love to hoop. But, at the same time, I want to be dad,” Paul added.
Should Lakers Pursue Paul?
The fact that James has played in 22 seasons has distracted from the fact that he’s the same age as Paul. They are the two oldest players in the NBA right now. They are also very close friends.
It’s easy to see James getting on board with the idea of adding Paul. He’s not much of a scorer at this point in his career, but the 7.4 assists per game he averaged were seventh in the NBA. Also, despite his age, Paul played in all 82 games for just the second time in his career.
Now, if he were to join the Lakers, he’s likely going to have to come off the bench. The only time he’s had that role was last season with the Golden State Warriors. It remains to be seen if it’s important for him to be a starter. Paul was traded to the Warriors, so he didn’t have any say on the matter. Now that he’s a free agent, he may choose to go somewhere he can start.
That said, if Los Angeles is where he wants to be, it could make sense for both sides.
JJ Redick & Paul Played Together
Another reason that Paul might want to come to the Lakers is head coach JJ Redick. The two played four seasons together on the Clippers and formed a close relationship.
Paul is going to know what Redick wants on offense and can help execute it. If Paul is just looking to spend a couple more years playing basketball close to him, the Lakers make perfect sense for him. He’d likely have to play on the league minimum, but it may not be about money for him at this stage. It would be fun to finally see Paul and James on the same team after it has been talked about for years.
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