The Los Angeles Lakers will look to defend their title during next NBA season. Before they begin those efforts, could they look to pull off a Chris Paul trade to form a “Big 3” with LeBron James and Anthony Davis?
The idea of Paul being traded to the Lakers has gained some momentum as of late with no shortage of speculation coming along with it. It wouldn’t be the simplest of moves to execute, but overall, Los Angeles would be doing what it takes to win-it-all right now.
An anonymous Eastern Conference executive told NBA Analysis Network that a potential trade for Chris Paul would make the Lakers an unstoppable force next season— explaining the overwhelming strengths Los Angeles would have as a team.
“Pairing up (Chris) Paul and LeBron (James) would give the Lakers an unfair passing combo with at least one being on the floor at all times. Having two ultra-high IQ floor generals that can get their own shot, with Anthony Davis setting picks and patrolling the paint would be incredible, to say the least. It’s tough to envision anyone beating that in a seven-game series.
“LeBron (James) is not getting any younger. (The Lakers) need to go for it and make this kind of move. These types of title windows don’t always last for as long as people seem to think”
It’s important to note, the executive went on to explain how the logistics of a potential trade sending Paul to the Lakers would be difficult to pull off. Mostly since the Lakers had to give up so much in the Anthony Davis trade and don’t have a lot of future picks or exciting young talent left to offer.
“Sam (Presti) is probably going to want a combination of draft picks and young talent and the Lakers don’t have a lot of that to offer. The trade for (Anthony) Davis cleaned them out of a lot of their future picks and (Kyle) Kuzma isn’t a super intriguing young piece either.
“Moving Chris (Paul) to the Lakers would have to be out of respect for the great year he gave them and how he’s operated with such class, not because it’s for the best trade package.”
After trading for Paul, the Eastern Conference executive believes the Lakers will need to get creative with how they round out the rest of their rotation. It may require veteran players to take less money with the goal of winning a championship before they retire.
“With how expensive Chris (Paul) will be salary-wise, the Lakers will need to be careful with how they fill out their roster. At $40-something million, that’s a lot of cap taken up for three players when adding in another star.
“An underwhelming free agency market could help (the Lakers) to add supporting pieces at a lower than usual price, though.”
It will be fascinating to see how the Lakers choose to reconfigure its roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis this offseason. They have a superstar duo and just need to ensure there is enough talent around them to repeat as champions.
The idea of trading for Chris Paul appears to be a rather simple one. If the Oklahoma City Thunder find the Los Angeles Lakers’ trade package to be an enticing one, it’s something they need to push for. His potential impact would only maximize the chances of repeating as champions in 2021.
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