Could the Los Angeles Lakers be the team that ends up acquiring Chris Paul from the Oklahoma City Thunder? According to a report from Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, the seemingly unlikely trade is certainly a possibility.
His report even goes so far as to cite a Western Conference source who says that being traded back to Los Angeles (presumably to the Lakers) would be “a dream come true” for Paul.
Sure, the Lakers are coming off of winning the 2020 NBA Finals, but with LeBron James still proving to be able to play at a very high level and the team having a number of its players heading for free agency, Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka isn’t likely to sit on his hands.
Pincus opines that the Lakers will want to appease James and that acquiring his good friend paul would do exactly that. The theoretical trade would be difficult for the Lakers to pull off considering Paul’s hefty salary next season, but it’s not impossible.
“Chris Paul would love to come back to L.A. I know it would be a dream come true for Chris,” an Eastern Conference executive said. “I know LeBron loves and trusts him and he would be a good fit…”
If James set his sights on Paul, the Lakers would have to send out five players: Kyle Kuzma, Danny Green and Quinn Cook, along with Avery Bradley and JaVale McGee, who need to opt into their contracts to be dealt. L.A. would also need to send its No. 28 pick in November’s draft, signing that player before waiting 30 days to execute a deal in which the Lakers would offload almost $33 million in players salaries.
The question as to whether or not the deal even has a shot would rest on whether Sam Presti values Kyle Kuzma, and if so, how much. If Presti believes that Kuzma has All-Star potential and/or the ability to complement Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. If not, taking back a package featuring the likes of older rotation players doesn’t seem prudent, and a potential package from the Knicks featuring younger players and future draft picks would seem to fit the bill more.
Of course, Presti is likely to weigh Paul’s wants in the situation, and if Pincus’ source is correct, then it’s obvious that the point god would welcome a trade back to the city he’s called home since 2011.