There’s no denying the fact that LeBron James is close friends with Chris Paul. CP3 will reportedly be waived by the Phoenix Suns. Thus, Paul could join a new team this summer.
The Los Angeles Lakers are viewed as one of the top contenders to sign Chris Paul. NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins believes Paul could be the ‘missing piece’ for the Lakers to keep LeBron James away from retirement.
“Chris Paul to the Lakers would shake up the league,” Perkins said on a recent episode of NBA Today. “You know why? We heard LeBron James talking about retirement, and we know damn well he’s not going anywhere. But what it did make me realize is that is he losing a little motivation right now.”
Perkins thinks playing with one of his closest friends could reignite LeBron’s motivation to continue his career in the league.
“Pairing up with one of his great friends in the point guard, CP3, would give him that extra juice to say, ‘You know what, I’m excited about coming back to next season,'” Perkins added.
Big Perk also thinks Paul’s arrival could be beneficial for Anthony Davis.
“The last time the Lakers won a championship, I cannot harp enough how important Rajon Rondo was to Anthony Davis,” Perkins continued. “Can you imagine CP3 and AD in the pick-and-roll? It would be dangerous.”
He concluded: “With the pieces they already added, CP3 would be the missing piece. … It would be scary for the rest of the league.”
"Chris Paul to the Lakers would shake up the league… We heard LeBron James talking about retirement… But what it did make me realize is that is he losing a little motivation right now? … CP3 would be the missing piece."
— Kendrick Perkinspic.twitter.com/S77nUQOzzD
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 9, 2023
If adding Paul to the team can keep LeBron James in the league, it would be like hitting two birds with one stone.
CP3 averaged 13.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 8.9 APG over 59 games during the 2022-23 regular season. Despite turning 38 years old, he can be of great value for James and the Lakers, who are aiming to win another NBA Championship.
Chris Paul Has Always Dreamed Of Playing For The Los Angeles Lakers
Chris Paul is regarded as one of the best point guards of this generation. But he is yet to win an NBA Championship in his career. The closest he came was during the 2021 NBA Finals. But the Suns blew a 2-0 lead that kept CP3 ringless.
However, Paul may have already become an NBA champion if his trade to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2011 was not vetoed by then-NBA Commissioner David Stern.
According to an anonymous NBA GM, Paul’s always dreamed of playing for the Lakers. That’s why if he parts ways with the Suns, the Purple and Gold would be his top-preferred destination.
“Lakers first,” an Eastern Conference GM said. “It’s not definite, a lot can happen. But you’d have to start there. He always had [the] dream of being a Laker [and] playing with LBJ.”
The Lakers finished the regular season with a 43-39 record and entered the postseason through the play-in tournament. Adding Paul could drastically improve the Lakers’ roster and may help them reach the NBA Finals instead of getting eliminated in the Western Conference Finals.
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