It's impossible to believe that Chris Paul has never played for the Los Angeles Lakers or been on the same team as LeBron James. Considering the affinity CP3 and the Lakers organization have had towards one another, and the close relationship James and Paul have, one would have assumed that their paths would have crossed.
Since leaving the L.A. Clippers, Paul bounced around the league, playing for five different teams in eight seasons. He is hitting the open market once again this summer, this time as a 40-year-old coming off the first season of his career, where he played in all 82 games.
Before free agency begins in July, the "Point God" teased his interest in playing in Los Angeles on his appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show."
It is important to note that Paul doesn't specify the Lakers in his remarks. He simply indicates his desire to be around his family, who are living in Los Angeles.
"I talked to my family about it. My son just turned 16. My daughter’s 12. The past six seasons, I’ve lived without them. So I go to San Antonio, Phoenix, Golden State, OKC. I’ve been around a few teams. But I’ve been away from them the past six years. So, it’s a little different."Chris Paul
This reduces Paul's preferred landing spots to the Clippers and the Lakers. The Clippers have James Harden as their starting point guard, and Paul and Harden's rocky relationship dating back to their days in Houston is well-documented. It's hard to imagine Paul heading back to the Clippers for that reason alone.
If Paul finally ends up as a Laker after 20 seasons in the NBA, it would give him an excellent opportunity to win the title that has eluded him in his illustrious career.
CP3 was agonizingly close to being a Laker in 2011, when Los Angeles acquired him via a trade with New Orleans, before it was vetoed by then-NBA commissioner David Stern because the league owned the Hornets at the time.
If Paul were to sign with the Lakers in the offseason, it might be 14 years too late, but he would still be welcome with open arms as the organization chases another championship in the dawn of LeBron James' career.