D’Angelo RussellLuis Sinco / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
While it’s still too early for the Los Angeles Lakers to give up on the idea of landing point guard Chris Paul, it’s becoming increasingly clear that they had better have a strong backup plan in place.
That plan has to start with re-signing impending free agent D’Angelo Russell.
On Sunday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Phoenix Suns had agreed to acquire Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards, and that Paul would be part of the deal. It certainly added a twist to the situation but may have actually been good news for the Lakers.
As NBA insider Marc Stein pointed out, Paul stands to net an extra $10 million in guaranteed salary from the trade. This, in turn, could make him more open to signing with a team like Los Angeles at or close to the veteran minimum.
“If waived by Washington, [Paul] can choose his next team …albeit with Phoenix ineligible to re-sign him,” Stein tweeted. “There will be lots of interest, with the Lakers at the forefront, if CP3 reaches free agency.”
Signing Paul as a free agent would still hinge on Washington waiving him, but the Beal trade doesn’t necessarily put an end to L.A.’s hopes of pairing Paul with Russell in the point-guard rotation.
At least, this is the case if Washington and Phoenix are the only two teams involved. However, Wojnarowski reported that Washington is also looking to include a third team that is willing to take on the 38-year-old’s $30.8 million salary:
Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn
Part of the reason for holding up full completion on the Wizards-Suns trade will be to allow Washington to field offers from third teams that would give Chris Paul a chance to land with a contender, sources tell ESPN.
That’s less beneficial for the Lakers, who aren’t absorbing that kind of salary without sending out a sizeable contract of their own. The front office, reportedly, isn’t interested in going that route.
“The Lakers for sure would have interest in acquiring Chris Paul, but only for the veteran minimum,” Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times wrote.
It seems Los Angeles’ top priority this offseason—aside, presumably, from getting a commitment from LeBron James—is to retain players like Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura and building upon its playoff roster. This is why getting Paul on the veteran minimum would be ideal.
“If he were to take that from the Lakers, it would be a good deal for the Lakers and allow them to retain Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura possibly without hurting their salary cap too much,” Turner wrote.
Russell has to be a priority too, because the Lakers simply don’t know if Paul will become available, or if he’d be willing to join them.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, even if Paul makes it to Washington and earns his release, the Lakers may prefer the cross-town Clippers.
“Since Chris Paul’s name has been on the market the last few weeks that there’s been kind of an assumption that the Lakers would be the choice,” Windhorst told Get Up (h/t Bleacher Report’s Tyler Conway). “That’s not what I am told. I am told the Clippers are a real opportunity there.”
There’s a very real chance Russell will simply be the Lakers’ best option at point guard heading into the season. They can look to bring back Dennis Schröder or find another complement to pair with Russell, but L.A. needs to start with getting him under contract.
From there, the Lakers can weigh their options for upgrading the point-guard position.
According to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, the Lakers are considering signing Russell to a front-loaded contract, perhaps with the ultimate goal of trading him:
“One framework the Lakers have discussed internally, according to multiple team sources not authorized to speak publicly, is signing Russell to a front-loaded two-year deal—either with an option in the second year or a straight two-year contract. …Their preference is to find a superior player by either sign-and-trading Russell elsewhere in July or, more likely at this point, re-signing him and then potentially trading him later in the season for a better player or fit.”
Would Los Angeles prefer to find a point guard who can better distribute the ball, help run the floor when James sits and play more consistent defense? Sure, but without Russell as a trade asset, the Lakers probably aren’t finding one between now and the deadline—unless everything breaks for them to land Paul.
And if the Lakers don’t have Paul or Russell on the roster, they may have to scramble for alternate options, like signing and starting Schröder or playing Reaves at the point.
For now, it would behoove the Lakers to lock in the core of the group that just reached the Western Conference Finals and remain fluid from there. Maybe they do sign Paul as a free agent, or maybe the right trade opportunity arises in-season.
If Los Angeles lets Russell slip away, though, its roster could be in much worse shape than it was at the end of last season.
*Contract information via Spotrac
