If Paul wants to play in Los Angeles, the only obstacle now is the sign-and-trade between the Suns and Lakers. Paul would have to make a personal sacrifice and decline his $44 million player option for the final year to have a chance to win the Cup in Los Angeles with James and the Brow.
It’s a hard thing to do, even for a player who has made hundreds of millions of dollars in his career, and it’s almost impossible to put money on the table.
Richard Jefferson has talked about Paul’s title bid, saying, “Honestly, I wouldn’t give up $40 million at the end of my career if I were you. It’s silly to even talk about it. I think Paul will be more like Kidd at the end of his career. Kidd was a dominant player on the court, and he went to the Mavericks as an on-court ball handler. He’s not putting up triple-doubles every night like he used to, but he’s still a good point guard. So, I think when Paul’s contract is over, he will play 1-2 years as a starting point guard for a championship team, and his salary will probably match his performance better then. However, if Paul really wants a championship ring, have him ready for $44 million and I can give him my 2016 one.”
So why would Paul do this?
This is how Ben understands it, because a championship might be more valuable to Paul. He is destined to be one of the legends of the sport of basketball, but there are still questions about him from the outside. That he can’t stay healthy in critical moments or even touch the Western Conference floor, let alone be able to lead his team to the NBA Finals. He played with star players like James Harden, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, but never made it.
The Los Angeles Lakers, who won the championship in 2020 and had a chance to defend their title, would be the favorites to win the title in 2022 if Paul joins the team. The Lakers could send Kyle Kuzma, Mondriz Haller and Dennis Schroder to the Sun.
It’s time for the Lakers and Paul to renew their relationship.
In 2011, the NBA vetoed one of the biggest trades in basketball history – the Lakers failed to acquire Chris Paul. The main voice of the veto came from Cleveland Cavaliers owner Daniel Gilbert. He said that if the Lakers got Chris Paul plus “The Beast” Howard, no team in the league had a chance against the Lakers led by Paul and Kobe, except for the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks at the time.
Apparently he was so stunned by the super team that he complained to former NBA president David Stern and vetoed the deal.
Ten years later, the Lakers have another chance to acquire the “god of point guards”, only Paul is not the same as he was ten years ago, but what remains the same is that he is as smart as he was ten years ago.