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Chris Paul joining the LA Lakers has gotten steam just a few days after the Phoenix Suns told him they were waiving him. “CP3” is reportedly looking for an elite contender as his next stop after his three-year stint in Phoenix.
The Lakers were swept by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals and could use an upgrade in the point guard position. D’Angelo Russell, LA’s starting playmaker, had a terrible conference final. He is an unrestricted free agent who could sign somewhere else.
Colin Cowherd had this to say about the potential move by the Lakers to acquire the “Point God:”
"The Lakers thing is nonsense. Chris Paul to the Lakers is nonsense. He’s older. He’s broken down. He’s expensive. Anthony Davis misses games. LeBron [James] misses games. You want your third-best player playing 55 games?
Cowherd brought up a very valid point. In his three years in Phoenix, Paul has played 70, 65 and then 59 games. More importantly, he seems unable to finish crucial playoff series due to unfortunate and freak injuries.
Paul had a right groin injury against the Denver Nuggets and played only until the third quarter of Game 2 in the semifinals.
The LA Lakers reached the conference finals, but for long stretches, it didn’t look like they were even going to make the play-in tournament. Injuries to Anthony Davis and LeBron James cost them the past two years. “King James” nearly had a season-ending right foot injury that could have eliminated LA from playoff contention.
When Davis is healthy, the Lakers usually do well. They were the 2020 champs when AD played 62 games and reached the conference finals when he was available for 56 games. In the previous two seasons, he played only 76 games.
At this stage, it’s almost impossible to expect both LeBron James and Anthony Davis to play more than 60 games a season. If LA’s top three superstars average 50 games, they’ll be in a ton of trouble.
Chris Paul will likely need to take a pay cut to play with LeBron James and Anthony Davis
The LA Lakers are reportedly keen on keeping Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura. They are reportedly willing to match contract offers for both players. Reaves could receive nearly $100 million for four years while Hachimura could be in the region of $18 million per season.
Assuming the Lakers sign both, Chris Paul may have to take the veteran's minimum to play with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He could get at least $2.6 million to don the purple and gold jersey.
Colin Cowherd proposes another deal that could see “CP3” go to another elite title contender:
"Send Marcus Smart to Phoenix, Chris Paul to Boston. … Marcus Smart is exactly what Phoenix needs because of Kevin Durant’s history of breaking down. They need a guy that’s younger, plays 65, 70 games along with [Devin] Booker and Deandre Ayton.
"When KD gets hurt, they’ve got their other three stars, Ayton, Smart and Booker.
"Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. They play 70 games, they play a lot of minutes. It’s okay if Chris Paul plays 55 games. It’s okay if he plays 30 minutes, not 40 because they’ve got that covered."
Smart has been the Boston Celtics’ heart and soul for the past several years. Paul, however, would be someone who could get them over the hump with his leadership, playmaking and poise.
“CP3” could be the missing link to a title-contending team.
