The Los Angeles Lakers are potentially in the market for a new point guard with the future of D’Angelo Russell up in the air, and they will have a couple of quality options on value contracts if Russell opts out of his contract and/or the Lakers choose to trade him.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report on Friday, May 31, noted current Golden State Warriors guard Chris Paul as a likely option, assuming he hits the market this summer. The Dubs can wipe $30 million off the books by releasing the backup point guard, which is a probable outcome considering they’re over the tax and have Stephen Curry starting in front of him.
Assuming he’s cut, Paul could re-sign with the Warriors at the minimum, but he may move on. The Lakers and [Los Angeles] Clippers are the obvious choices, as Paul’s family still resides in Los Angeles. The chance to play with [LeBron] James and the Lakers may trump the Clippers, though Paul is undoubtedly familiar with the other L.A. team from his prior stint. He could consider the [Phoenix] Suns, who have a hole at point guard.
The [San Antonio] Spurs could offer Paul a larger salary to run the pick-and-roll with [Victor] Wembanyama, but the L.A. teams probably make more sense unless San Antonio offers enough.
Paul will play next season at 39 years old, which would make the Lakers’ lineup even older in comparison to the rest of the NBA given that James will turn 40 in December.
Still, if Paul is willing to sign on for a veteran minimum, he will provide the Lakers with a seasoned initiator of offense as the team tries to get over the hump in a Western Conference full of youthful talent on the rise.
Paul averaged 9.2 points, 6.8 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 26.4 minutes per game across 58 appearances for Golden State last season, which included 18 starts, per Basketball Reference.
Adding Paul on a value contract should fill a key role while keeping the Lakers’ options open as far as adding another star to the mix. There are several players on L.A.’s radar, including Donovan Mitchell or Darius Garland of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Trae Young and Dejounte Murray of the Atlanta Hawks, as well as DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls.
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