Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James have been waiting for their next championship glory for a long time. They last tasted the title success back in the 2019-20 season. The Lakers squad once again had a good chance of ending the title drought this year. But things did not happen as they had planned. After a miraculous turnaround, the Los Angeles Lakers made it to the postseason finishing as the seventh seed. From there on, the LA franchise fought through the play-in and then defeated everybody in the playoffs until they reached the conference finals.
However, the top seed of the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets, blew the Los Angeles Lakers away 4-0. And hence, the Lakers are now planning for their action in the offseason. They need to get a team ready for the next year but also for a few more years in the future. D’Angelo Russell is one player who the Lakers may trade after his poor outing in the conference finals. Hence, the question arises who can be the possible replacement for D’Lo? The popular opinion is Chris Paul, an old friend of LeBron James, plus the Lakers have been looking for a while to make a deal with him. But Colin Cowherd does not think the 38-year-old Sun’s point guard is a good idea for the Lakers.
Is It A Good Idea For The Lakers To Buy Chris Paul?
The latest information surrounding Phoenix Suns is that they are willing to give up Chris Paul and trade him with the Lakers. The 12-time All-Star played for the Clippers for a long time and hence knew Los Angeles City all too well. Moreover, his family lives in the city as well. Adding to that, he was part of the Banana Boat super-team with LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Carmelo Anthony. It has been twelve years since Chris came very close to playing for the Lakers alongside Kobe Bryant, but somehow, it did not happen. However, Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports warns the Los Angeles Lakers before signing 38-year-old Chris Paul.
The Lakers already suffered because of Anthony Davis, who cannot play more games in any season because of injuries. According to Cowherd, it will be a disaster for the Lakers to bring Paul in and get only 53 games or so out of him. Instead, the smart thing for the Lakers to do is buy a young talent with whom they can see a future. Chris Paul is the same age as his friend LeBron James. And he is also contemplating retirement thoughts at present. Carmelo Anthony retired a few days ago, and Paul can also take that decision anytime soon. Hence, Colin Cowherd does make some sense.
LA Side May Want To Keep Some Young Players They Got For The Future
Some of the players who joined in February will be free agents in the offseason. Along with those who were already on the team from the start of the season. For instance, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura will be restricted free agents, but D’Angelo Russell will be unrestricted. Although, all these players have raised their value after their performances in the playoffs along with the regular season.
So, it will be hard for the Lakers’ front office to keep all of them as the office doesn’t have much scope in their cap space. Along with LeBron James and Anthony Davis – the two stars of the team, the Lakers must look for more options. They might manage to bring in some replacements for the players they might trade in the offseason.
