Los Angeles Lakers: Should they trade for Chris Paul?

A main detractor of those who think the trade would hurt the Lakers is that it could tamper with team chemistry and would tank the Lakers franchise within the next five years. However, with the timetable that the team is on with LeBron James as the star player, the team will be filled with veterans.

Also, if there is a chance to put together a top trio in the league that is now dominated by duos, I believe that you have to pull the trigger. It also would make the next couple years much more interesting for the Lakers in free agency.

In the next two years, Paul may have by far the worst contact in the league. However, there are possible ways for Rob Pilinka to work around this. For one, he could restructure his deal and continue to pay him a substantially less amount of money per year while just extending the length of the contract well beyond Paul’s playing days.

This is not ideal for the Lakers future, but for the well-being of the championship nucleus, they would have it could be necessary. Another way would be for the Thunder to buy out a portion of Paul’s contract before trading him. This could cause the Lakers to give up more than they would otherwise in a trade. However, with Los Angeles being a top free agent destination, the money saved could be enough to fill out the roster with skilled veterans or various players that want to play with LeBron or chase a ring.

If the restructuring of Paul’s contract is done is would allow for the Lakers to possibly make a splash in free agency and put together a roster that is by far the most superior in the entire NBA. A lot of things would have to work out right and stars would have to align, but if certain boxes are checked, this move could wind up being one of the best in recent NBA history.