Chris Paul to the Lakers?
Discussing possible team signings for Chris Paul now that he has been waived
In extremely surprising news, Phoenix Suns point guard, Chris Paul, has been waived. The 38-year-old point guard has been a 12x all-star, 11x All-NBA, and even a 9x All-Defensive, and shown throughout his career that he is a star. This only makes it very astonishing that the Suns would decide to waive this type of player.
While Paul has been unable to win a championship, he has still helped to contribute wins to his team. The Phoenix Suns, for example, were a 34-win team before Paul arrived. However, when he joined the team, the team skyrocketed to 51 wins and even made the NBA finals. In the three years since then, the Suns have never had a season below 45 wins and have gotten past the first round in every single one of those years.
All of this has left everyone wondering: “why did the Phoenix Suns waive Chris Paul?”
The answer to this question is actually pretty straightforward. Money is the main reason the Suns decided to waive the all-time great point guard. Paul is on a 4 year, $120 million deal and his play hasn’t matched his pay. Injuries along with decreasing scoring numbers have signified that his age is catching up with him. Since they want to reach their title aspirations, the Suns cut Paul to free up money and make some substantial changes to their roster.
So what does this mean for Chris Paul? What team will he sign for? Will he ever win a ring?
As with every other star who becomes available, whether through free agency or trade, the Los Angeles Lakers seem to be the number one spot for said player to head to. While this may seem very farfetched, Chris Paul actually fits on the Lakers very well. The team’s starting point guard right now is D’Angelo Russell, whose lack of consistency makes him a weak option. Replacing him with the likes of Chris Paul would give the Lakers the facilitating they need from their point guard and added experience.
The Lakers' loss to the Denver Nuggets in this past postseason was not due to their lack of scoring, but rather their lack of playmaking other than LeBron. If you watched the games, you could see how the Lakers team had trouble creating good looks if the ball was not in LeBron’s hands. Chris Paul would help to solve this issue. Additionally, Chris Paul already has a good relationship with LeBron James, which removes the worry about possible chemistry issues.
If you watched the NBA back in 2011, you may remember how Chris Paul was almost sent to the Lakers, had there not been a veto by Commissioner David Stern. Who knows, this may have just been some very good foreshadowing and a sign that Paul really belongs in L.A. Personally, if I were the Lakers GM, I would be doing everything in my power to try and acquire Chris Paul in order to help my team win.
Chris Paul has just been waived and many are claiming that he is heading to the Lakers. What do you think of this possible move and should the Lakers do it? Let me know in the comments.
