Lakers Should Target Chris Paul Amid Latest NBA Rumors After Bradley Beal Trade

The Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of work to do this offseason to reload a roster that managed to reach the Western Conference Finals but got swept by the Denver Nuggets once it arrived.

Even assuming LeBron James returns for another L.A. run, the Lakers still have to decide the futures of players such as Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, D'Angelo Russell, Lonnie Walker IV and Dennis Schröder, who will either be restricted or unrestricted free agency on June 30.

Along the way, general manager Rob Pelinka and the front office must look for ways to improve the roster because, well, the Nuggets are still going to represent a huge postseason obstacle.

Los Angeles' top offseason target may have emerged when the Phoenix Suns reportedly notified point guard Chris Paul that he may not be back for the 2023-24 season:

Acquiring the 38-year-old, either to pair with or replace Russell at point guard would be a valuable move for the Lakers. Russell had his bright moments during the regular season and playoffs, but his limitations were exposed on both ends of the court against Denver.

And the Lakers were reportedly interested.

"The Lakers would have strong interest in signing Chris Paul if the guard is waived or stretched by the Suns, multiple team sources told The Athletic," Jovan Buha of The Athletic wrote.

The Lakers were also named as a potential landing spot for the 12-time All-Star.

"If the Suns do move Paul, sources around the NBA are whispering about three potential destinations: the Clippers, the Lakers, and the Spurs," Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer wrote.

However, things got a lot more complicated on Sunday. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Suns have agreed to acquire Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards. Per Wojnarowski, Paul is expected to be part of Phoenix's trade package, though a deal "could take a few days to be finalized."

The big question now is: What do the Wizards plan to do with Paul? Waiving him is a distinct possibility.

Washington has won 35 games in back-to-back seasons and is clearly looking to rebuild. Paying the veteran the entirety of his $30.8 million salary wouldn't make a ton of sense. This means there's still a chance—and perhaps an even better one than if he stays in Phoenix—he will reach the open market.

And, as NBA insider Marc Stein pointed out, Paul stands to net an extra $10 million in guaranteed salary from the trade. That could leave him open to signing with a team like Los Angeles for 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."

Buha reported that the Lakers have "discussed" the idea of signing Paul and keeping Russell, which is a much more realistic option if Paul is open to signing a minimum contract—and it would also put Los Angeles in a good place at the point guard spot.

While Russell is far from perfect, but he did some good things during his short time with the Lakers. Pairing him with Paul would give L.A. a quality rotation that could help it make another deep postseason run.

While Paul isn't an elite defender at this stage in his career, his ability to create on the other end would be fantastic for the Lakers. He could help take some of the ball-handling duties away from James and help create open looks as James and Anthony Davis dominate the defensive attention.

Last season, Paul averaged 13.9 points, 8.9 assists, and 4.3 rebounds. He's a much more pass-oriented point guard who would potentially complement Russell—who averaged 17.4 points but only 6.1 assists—extremely well.

There are a lot of "ifs" to the whole scenario, starting with the fact that if the Wizards view Paul as more than just a salary match and plan to keep him, Los Angeles is going to have to start diving into other options.

However, the Lakers shouldn't give up on adding Paul just yet. They should remain patient, see how and if the trade unfolds and figure out what Washington plans to do before pivoting ahead of free agency.