Lakers News: LA Reportedly Interested In Chris Paul If Waived By Suns
Suns #Suns
According to a new report from Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Los Angeles Lakers would be very interested in Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul if his partially-guaranteed contract is waived.
The best way to acquire Paul from the Suns is by signing him to a veterans minimum contract, triggering a roster exception that’ll allow the Lakers to get another player, enhancing their squad.
Buha believes this should be done in order to not just get a veteran playmaker like Paul, but also for insurance should Los Angeles re-sign incumbent starter D’Angelo Russell.
Paul is coming off an injury-plagued year where he averaged 13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Even still, finally bagging the 38-year-old future Hall of Famer would be the sort-of-homecoming NBA fans would least expect. Assuming Los Angeles would be able to retain Russell in addition to signing Paul, the move feels like a no-brainer.
But what the Lakers can also do is replace Chris Paul with D-Lo, and have enough money left over to bring back both, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, and possibly another.
“Even with Paul nearing 40, it’s easy to envision the rhythm of a Paul-Davis pick-and-roll after seeing it for so many years in New Orleans, Los Angeles, Houston, Oklahoma City and Phoenix,” Buha writes.
The biggest concern I have is Paul’s ability to stay healthy. We all know that when the veteran is healthy, he can shake-up any defense with and without the ball, but his ability to do so has been marked by injuries.
If CP3 can stay healthy (he hasn’t played , there’s no doubt about the impact he can make on the offensive-end for the Lakers. Just imagine a beautiful isolation play that he draws three defenders into, leaving a wide-open LeBron James in the backdoor; or a pick and pop with Anthony Davis?
If I was Rob Pelinka and the Lakers front office, this is an opportunity that I wouldn’t pass up. Unfortunately, the ball is in the Phoenix Suns’ court, and this particular scenario could only happen if Chris Paul’s contract is waived or stretched.
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