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In the summer of 2011, Chris Paul was destined to a trade from New Orleans to Hollywood. The only thing nobody knew was whether he'd start the season as the point guard of the LA Lakers or Clippers. While the Clippers eventually won the CP3 sweepstakes (thanks to former commissioner David Stern's intervention), it makes you wonder what really would've happened if Paul's trade to the Lakers was never vetoed. Now we can finally have our answer.
This didn't require traveling back in time, but rather asking artificial intelligence (AI) on how the potential pairing of Paul and Kobe Bryant during the prime of their careers would turn out. After all, it did also have answers to questions like the top 25 players in NBA history and who would win a seven-game series between the 2017 Golden State Warriors and 1996 Chicago Bulls.
Would a backcourt duo of CP3, Kobe Bryant win the former his 1st ring?
The initial agreement before the Clippers swooped in was a three-team trade between the Rockets, Hornets, and the Lakers. The deal would've sent Paul to the Lakers, Lamar Odom, Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, Goran Dragic, and a couple of draft picks to New Orleans. Meanwhile, the Rockets would receive Pau Gasol. Looking back, the deal seemed pretty fair considering the kind of trades that would happen a decade later.
If Paul had become a Laker, the purple and gold would have boasted one of the most formidable backcourts the franchise has ever seen. According to AI, in their first season together, Paul would average around 20 points and 12 assists per game. Bryant, on the other hand, continued his dominance averaging 29 points and 5 assists which would be good enough to lead the Lakers to another 60-win season.
However, even with this powerful combination, AI thinks the Lakers would fall short in their quest for a championship in 2012 at the hands of a young and hungry Oklahoma City Thunder squad.
Chris Paul wins his first NBA championship, says AI
Fast forward to 2012, the Lakers continued to make moves in the offseason. In reality, the Lakers traded for Dwight Howard to form a super team with Bryant, Gasol, and Steve Nash. But in this alternate timeline, with Chris Paul already in the mix, the Lakers would have no need for Nash. In the initial Paul trade, no players were included in the eventual Howard trade which meant the Lakers basically swapped Andrew Bynum for Howard.
With Bryant playing on a lesser workload, there's a strong possibility that his Achilles wouldn't have broken down towards the end of the season. AI simulates that this Lakers team would have made a deep playoff run in 2013, ultimately facing off against the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.
In this alternate universe, the Lakers would edge out the Heat in a seven-game series. The ramifications?
Paul and Howard win their first championship, but most importantly, Bryant wins his sixth ring, tying him with Michael Jordan. AI never revealed what would happen after their first title, but you can guarantee that this big 3 would have kept the Lakers in contention for the next few years.
While we can only speculate on what might have been, it looks like Stern made the right call to veto the trade or else the Lakers would've been close to unstoppable.
