When the Los Angeles Clippers abruptly sent Chris Paul home, the Los Angeles Lakers quickly became the most obvious destination for the future Hall of Famer in his farewell season.
For one, Paul is close friends with both Lakers head coach JJ Redick and LeBron James, making him a natural fit. Furthermore, Paul specifically signed with the Clippers so he could be close to his family, as he revealed back in July.
“I love to hoop, I love to play this game but I love my family more than any of it,” Paul said during his introductory press conference with the Clippers.
The Lakers can allow Paul to stay close to family while giving him a shot to chase his elusive ring before riding off into the sunset.
Alas, they have no interest in bringing Paul on board, per LakersDaily’s Ashish Mathur.
Lakers Not Keen on CP3
The report added that Paul “is unlikely to sign with another team” and may have already played his final game as an NBA pro.
“While Paul is friends with James and Lakers head coach JJ Redick, Paul won’t be joining the Lakers and he has probably played his last NBA game, sources said.”
The Lakers have an open roster spot, but can’t sign a 15th player until Jan. 19.
Unwilling to Retire
According to Andscape’s Marc J. Spears, Chris Paul has no intention to retire and plans to play out his farewell season with another team.
“Is he done? I’m told absolutely not,” Spears told ESPN’s “NBA Today” on Thursday.
A few GMs told Spears that they weren’t particularly interested in adding Paul because of his age and their unwillingness to use a final roster spot on him.
Worth the Trouble?
There’s also everything else that comes along with signing Paul, a vocal presence.
While the Clippers have been widely lambasted in the media for sending Paul home, some NBA execs sympathize with the franchise and understand their decision.
“He could still be an important player on a good team, but he’d have to be willing to accept the role that team needs from him — and with Chris, you have to wonder about that,” one exec told Heavy Sports’ Steve Bulpett.
“And if he’s not bought into what you’re doing — and clearly he wasn’t with the Clippers — then at a certain point, nobody wants to deal with it. Nobody wants to hear it. It becomes problematic. And Chris has been trending that way for a while. His most recent episodes in the league have not been successful in terms of how he’s fit.”
Another executive highlighted Paul’s alleged tendency to rub teammates the wrong way.
“We have a guy who played with him who I think put it best: ‘Chris Paul is an acquired taste.’ He’s not everybody’s cup of tea,” the exec told Bullpet.
Clippers can trade Chris Paul after Dec. 15, but they have two other options: 1) waiving him and absorbing his $3.6M guaranteed salary or 2) buying him out.
If Paul doesn’t suit up for another team, he’ll finish his storied 21-year career with 23,058 points, 12,552 assists (second all-time) and 27,28 steals (second all-time).
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