With their decision to trade star guard Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns, the Washington Wizards have all but committed themselves to a full-fledged franchise rebuild. However, what has sparked questions about this presumed trajectory is their acquisition of guard Chris Paul in exchange for their former centerpiece.
At 38 years old, it's evident that the future Hall of Famer does not mesh well with the Wizards' timeline. However, based on recent rumblings, it seems as though GM Will Dawkins isn't pushing to part ways with the veteran any time soon, as ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that “The Wizards are in no hurry, I'm told, to start discussing the possibility of a contract buyout.”
Despite this, Wojnarowski would continue to note that the Wizards are open to moving him, though finding a third party to take on his services would be their preferred course of action.
At this point, all signs point to Washington being interested in parting with the likes of Chris Paul at some point this offseason, and there are three teams, in particular, that would be ideal fits for his services.
Ideal Chris Paul landing spot No. 3) Los Angeles Lakers
Since their 2020 NBA Championship run, the Los Angeles Lakers have been trying desperately to find a long-term option to man the starting point guard position.
From Dennis Schroder and Russell Westbrook to, most recently, D'Angelo Russell, all of Rob Pelinka's experiments at the one throughout this time span has failed.
However, should he be willing to take one more swing at a splashy backcourt option, Chris Paul could make quite a bit of sense.
A fellow Banana Boat attendee, CP3 and Lakers star LeBron James have a long-standing relationship that dates back to before their NBA days.
On top of his personal ties to the organization, his family also lives out in Los Angeles for a large chunk of the year, thus allowing him to spend more time with loved ones throughout the season.
From an on-court perspective, Darvin Ham's club could certainly use an uptick in playmaking from his talent pool, as they ranked just a middling 15 in assists per game throughout the regular season.
Chris Paul may be coming off a down season, but he's still proven that his passing abilities are still top-notch, as he finished fifth in the NBA in assist averages with 8.9 a night.
With stellar impressive threats such as James, Anthony Davis, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Austin Reaves surrounding him, quarterbacking this Lakers offense to success could prove to be one of the easiest tasks of Paul's illustrious career.
Ideal Chris Paul landing spot No. 2) Miami Heat
After losing to the Denver Nuggets in this year's NBA Finals, the Miami Heat are likely going to look to make a few spicy shakeups to their rotation this offseason to better position themselves to claim banner number four come next season.
While they've been linked to several top-flight trade targets already, including the likes of Bradley Beal prior to his trade to Phoenix, perhaps a pursuit of Chris Paul could prove to be a more cost-efficient, yet equally beneficial move.
Perhaps the biggest name viewed as a viable trade option for the Heat this summer is superstar point guard Damian Lillard, who he himself stated would be open to a move to South Beach should the Portland Trail Blazers wish to part ways with him.
Such a move would without a doubt provide Miami with a much-needed floor general and an extra offensive creator, but an actual deal would likely cost them an arm and a leg to execute.
An outbound asset that would almost certainly be necessary to make a trade for Lillard work is rising star Tyler Herro which, considering his productivity throughout his tenure with the Heat, is less than an ideal scenario.
Should they pursue Chris Paul instead, they not only would be bringing aboard a trusty floor general and established veteran leadership similar to Lillard, but they'd likely be able to hold onto the likes of Herro as well.
Being they made it to the Finals without the fourth-year guard's services for virtually the entirety of the postseason, adding him back into the mix while also adding on a much-improved point guard option in Paul may actually be the preferred option over going all out for Damian Lillard.
Ideal Chris Paul landing spot No. 1) Boston Celtics
The Miami Heat may have just been the team to represent the Eastern Conference in the 2023 NBA Finals, but it is widely believed that, from an overall standpoint, the Boston Celtics are the better team.
Frankly, it's rather hard to argue against such a notion.
The club's existing firepower headlined by All-NBA stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown is easily one of the best in the entire association while their supporting cast consisting of Marcus Smart, Al Horford, Robert Williams, Malcolm Brogdon, and Grant Williams (just to name a few) is truly tantalizing.
Perhaps the biggest factor that led to the team's ultimate demise in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals this past season was their inability to remain fluid down the stretch of close contests, as they ranked just ninth in offensive rating during the postseason in crunch time situations.
A steady presence like Chris Paul leading the charge (coughed up just 1.9 giveaways weighed against his 8.9 assists per game) at the point guard position could very well be the missing piece to Boston's quest for banner number 18.
Follow Us
Subscribe
