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Lakers Rumors: Why Chris Paul and LeBron James in LA is a terrible idea

By Jason Reed

CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 3: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers tries to drive around Chris Paul #3 of the Houston Rockets during the first half at Quicken Loans Arena on February 3, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 3: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers tries to drive around Chris Paul #3 of the Houston Rockets during the first half at Quicken Loans Arena on February 3, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) – Lakers Rumors /

1. The Los Angeles Lakers have the point guard of the future in Lonzo Ball

Lonzo Ball may never be the same Hall of Fame-caliber point guard that Chris Paul is, but he likely will be an all-star one day and will carve out a nice career for himself. With a ton of marketability as well, that is really all the Lakers could ask for out of the second overall pick from the 2017 NBA Draft.

Bringing in Chris Paul only disrupts any progression that Ball is having on the Lakers. That is not even the worst-case scenario for Ball on the Lakers.

Assuming that Paul and James both get max deals, or close to it, the Lakers are going to have to free up cap space to bring in bench depth. This means that the team would have to trade Luol Deng. With a star point guard coming in, this might mean trading Lonzo Ball. Personally, I think that is a terrible idea, however, nobody is reportedly untouchable.

Granted, Paul could come in and play a shooting guard-esque role with the Lakers. Paul was playing a lot more off-ball due to James Harden on the Rockets and could take a similar role with Ball and LeBron playing facilitator for the offense.

But still, a potential Ball-Paul backcourt will seemingly be dysfunctional and only hinder Ball’s performance. At this point in Chris Paul’s career, I am not sure it is even worth it.

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