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The Los Angeles Lakers Emerge As The Biggest Threat To Pry Chris Paul: “He Would Want To Play Alongside James”

Chris Paul is among the most compelling names to watch this season. The 36-year old veteran point guard is fresh off an NBA Finals appearance with the Phoenix Suns and has entered the off season with a big decision to make that could have major implications for his future.

Paul is in the final year of his contract, should he opt out of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent remains up in the air for the time being. But as teams keep track of Paul’s upcoming decision, one team emerges as the biggest threat to pry him out of Phoenix, and that team is none other than the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers concluded their 2021 season with a disappointing finish against Paul’s team in the first round of the playoffs. Despite this, and the fact that the Lakers are rumored to be interested in many star point guards, they remain as a potential destination for CP3, and as veteran sports reporter Marc Stein put out in his latest newsletter – Paul would want to play in Los Angeles and play alongside his long-time friend LeBron James.

“I still see the Lakers as the most realistic threat to derailing the Suns’ hopes of re-signing Paul, no matter how hard it is to pinpoint a pathway for them to acquire him because of the cap complexities,” Stein writes. “The reasoning: We know Paul would want to play again in Los Angeles, where his family still resides during the season, and also that he would want to play alongside James.”