Even after winning the 2020 Championship, the Los Angeles Lakers will continue to look for ways to improve their roster for next season. As LeBron inches closer to his 40th birthday, and the competition out West grows steeper, they will need to think outside of the box if they want to stay ahead of the field.
In an article, JD Tailor of SB Nation’s Welcome To Loud City proposed a best-case-scenario trade deal for the Purple and Gold that would involve the acquisition of superstar guard Chris Paul, who has long been linked in trade rumors with the Lakers.
A deal for Paul makes sense for the Lakers. Los Angeles would get one of the best playmakers in the NBA and a point guard who can provide relief for LeBron James. Chris Paul was excellent for the Thunder last season in a role where he shared the ball a lot.
Best of all for LA, they could pull it off without having to send young stud Kyle Kuzma packing.
Los Angeles Lakers:
Acquisitions – Chris Paul, Terrance Ferguson
Outgoings – Danny Green, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, JaVale McGee, Quinn Cook and 2027 LA First Round Pick
Meanwhile, for Atlanta, they get a decent return for giving up a first-rounder and Huerter: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who averaged 9 points, on 46% shooting this past season.
It was reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic that team like the Hawks would have interest in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Caldwell-Pope had an excellent postseason and emerged as one of the premier 3&D wings in the league. KCP was arguably the third best player on the Lakers during the NBA Finals.
The Thunder give up the star in this trade (CP3) but would receive a pretty loaded package of players and picks.
Oklahoma City:
Acquisitions – Kevin Huerter, 2022 OKC First Round Pick, Danny Green, JaVale McGee, Quinn Cook and 2027 LA First Round Pick
Outgoings – Chris Paul, Terrance Ferguson
For all three teams, there is much to gain from the deal. And in an offseason with so much uncertainty, there are certainly worse moves that can be made.
For the Lakers, especially, it will be an important couple of months as they assemble a roster capable of bringing home another title.
