Breaking: Chris Paul may or may not be on the Phoenix Suns next season.
On Wednesday, three of the NBA's highest-profile scoopers nearly simultaneously shared reports on the status of Paul and the Suns. In sum, Phoenix and Paul are in dialogue about whether the 38-year-old will be waived before June 30, when his $30 million contract for 2023-24 becomes fully guaranteed. If he's waived before, the Suns are on the hook for $15 million, which they can stretch over five years. Notably, deploying the stretch provision prohibits a franchise from re-signing that player. The Suns could Paul and re-sign him at the veteran's minimum (Woj reported that his preference is to stay in Phoenix). A trade is possible, as well.
Should Paul hit free agency, all eyes will be on Los Angeles, where Paul and his family live. Both his former team, the Clippers, and his good friend LeBron James' current team, the Lakers, are in win-now mode with vacancies at point guard.
Let's use the latest juicy offseason scuttlebutt to assess the point guard options for the 2023-24 Lakers. (For a comprehensive primer on the Lakers' offseason, go here.)
Chris Paul
Per the latest intel from Yahoo's Jake Fischer, it's not out of the realm of possibility that the Lakers could sign-and-trade Devin Booker's buddy Russell for Paul, then waive Paul and re-sign at the veteran's minimum, thereby clearing $30 million from their books. If he's waived, he could also sign with the Lakers outright.
The case for Paul: A close pal and former Olympic teammate of LeBron Jame — they'd be stoked to play together. An above-average spot-up shooter. A disciplined conductor of a half-court offense who would take ball-handling pressure off James as a secondary playmaker (the Lakers struggled in the half-court last season). Paul, LeBron, and Austin Reaves would give the Lakers three exceptionally high IQ creators. He could run the second unit with AD when LeBron sits, and that pick-and-roll combo would be deadly.
The case against Paul: He annually breaks down in the playoffs and played 59 games last season. He likes to play (very) slow; the Lakers don't. He's an accurate shooter but does his best work with the ball in his hands, like LeBron (see: Russell Westbrook — the Clippers may be a better fit for CP3). His midrange acumen won't exactly help their spacing. His defense has dramatically dipped with age — he isn't the Dennis Schroder-type menace anymore. Plus, as we witnessed with Patrick Beverley — whom the Lakers were relieved to rid from their locker room — Darvin Ham's squad is self-motivated and rife with leadership. They don't need another hyper-competitive veteran in their ear all day.
Now, if Paul is willing to hoop for a portion of the mid-level exception or, better yet, on a minimum contract, then that's a different story.
Austin Reaves
The Lakers intend to match any offer for the 24-year-old restricted free agent, even up to $100 million. Reaves, if retained, will likely start at the 2-guard, though there's a case to be made to make him the 1. He played point for most of his life, his passing is elite, and his on-ball playmaking was evident after the All-Star break when he became the team's third-best player and creator.
Dennis Schroder
If Ham had his druthers (and he might), the Lakers might just ride with Dennis. Schroder was a rock for the Lakers all season – a responsible orchestrator, timely scorer, and relentless on-ball defender.
Schroder might've played his way into a Tyus Jones-level contract ($15 million/year) and rivals Jones as the best backup PG in basketball. However, if Schroder was willing to sacrifice some money to stick with Ham and take the MLE, the Lakers would have a reliable point guard and have a little extra money to spend elsewhere — and/or could save on luxury tax after paying Reaves and Rui Hachimura.
D'Angelo Russell
Russell is probably the favorite to be the Lakers' starting point guard — sorry, guard — when next season begins, though the Lakers are exploring sign-and-trade options.
Ironically, his cringe-worthy performance in the conference finals (and questionable exit interview) may have increased the likelihood that he stays in Los Angeles, which he said he'd “love” to do. DLo was seeking $25 million annually from the Minnesota Timberwolves. He's not getting that from the Lakers — nor on the open market — as the few teams with cap room are either rebuilding or possess promising backcourts.
The Lakers can let Russell test the market, then offer two years, $18-20 million. Russell isn't a star — he was probably their fifth-best player by the end of the playoffs — but he's a solid option at that price. He did average 17.4 points and 6.1 assists on 61.0 percent true shooting in 17 regular-season games post-deadline.
Damian Lillard
I'm including Dame to acknowledge his potential availability — and because LeBron and AD recruited him two summers ago — but there's really no realistic way for the Lakers to acquire Lillard without trading Davis.
Kyrie Irving
Until LeBron is no longer employed by the Lakers, Kyrie-to-Los Angeles rumors will persist, if only because Irving likes to leak them.
I covered this earlier this week so I'll refer you there for Kyrie-Lakers stuff. However, folks I've talked to with knowledge of the Lakers' thinking insist the organization is not particularly interested. If the Mavs want to take back Russell, Mo Bamba, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, and first-round pick, and Kyrie wants to take a massive discount — then, sure.
Trae Young / Dejounte Murray
Both Atlanta Hawks guards (and Klutch clients) have been linked to the Lakers. The Lakers have reportedly had internal discussions about Young, who attended two playoff games at Crypto. Murray, too, was recently mentioned by ESPN's plugged-in Lakers reporter Dave McMenamin as a name to watch.
Young is owed $40 million in 2023-24, so the Lakers would have to deal Beasley ($16.5 million), Bamba ($10.3 million), Russell ($20ish million), and/or Vanderbilt ($4.5 million) in a sign-and-trade, plus probably two first-round picks, including the No. 17 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, second-rounders, and maybe Max Christie ($1.7 million). I'm not really sure why the Hawks would do that — especially if a bidding war opens up — unless other teams got involved to sweeten the pot or unless the Lakers offer Reaves or Davis. Either way, the Lakers are the betting favorites to land Ice Trae.
The Lakers would be hard-capped due to the sign-and-trade.
Murray is entering the final year of the bargain four-year, $64 million deal he signed with the San Antonio Spurs. He'll soon be eligible to sign a four-year, $111.1 million max extension at some point next season — also a bargain.
The 26-year-old would give the Lakers a staunch wing defender — which they desperately need — and more ball-handling and playmaking, but not shooting (33.5% career from 3).
Atlanta surrendered three first-rounders and a swap for Murray. Would they really flip him for, Beasley, Vanderbilt, Christie, and two firsts? Maybe.
Fred VanVleet
VanVleet, a Klutch client, is entering the final year — a player option — of a four-year, $85 million deal. He's reportedly on the Lakers radar. If the 29-year-old wants to push for a trade, he could decline an extension and use 2024 unrestricted free agency as leverage against the possibly-rebuilding Toronto Raptors.
VanVleet is All-Star caliber (19.3 PPG, 7.2 APG in 2022-23) and shoots 37.3% from 3 for his career — though he's coming off a down year from the field. He could be a snug fit as a third banana around LeBron and AD. His toughness fits right in with the culture Ham established.
Trading with Masaj Ujiri is always treacherous. But, if Rich Paul can help broker a deal, it's not unfathomable that VanVleet could find his way to Los Angeles. Maybe Ujiri would take Russell and/or expiring contracts, Christie, and picks. Los Angeles can then extend VanVleet for four years, $114.2 million (or three years, $88.7 million).
Follow Us
Subscribe