NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul Trade, Knicks, More

There's little doubt that Chris Paul's future will be one of the most intriguing subplots of the NBA offseason. The star point guard seems likely to be traded given the trajectory of the rebuilding Oklahoma City Thunder, with plenty of suitors likely to emerge. 

One of those suitors might just be the champion Los Angeles Lakers. 

"Chris Paul would love to come back to L.A," an Eastern Conference executive told B/R's Eric Pincus. "I know it would be a dream come true for Chris. I know LeBron [James] loves and trusts him, and he would be a good fit."

The executive continued:

"It's a no-brainer to get a third scorer [and playmaker] like Chris. It's a really valid and viable scenario. Will it happen? I don't know, but if I'm the Lakers [or] if I'm LeBron, that's what I go for. They might be able to get a pick back from the Thunder, like [the Miami Heat's 2021 previously acquired by Oklahoma City]."

Granted, for the Lakers to make the money work—Paul is owed $41.3 million next season and has a $44.2 million player option in the 2021-22 campaign, which he assuredly will exercise—they would need to clear out significant salary cap space. As Pincus noted, that could mean dealing five players and a 2020 first-round pick:

Avery Bradley and JaVale McGee would need to opt into their player options for next year to make such a trade work. Bradley, 29, could get more in free agency than the $5 million he's due next year, which perhaps throws a wrench into this possibility. But it's not hard to see how a playmaker like Paul would fit next to James and Anthony Davis.

The Lakers may not be alone in pursuing him, with Pincus reporting that the "the buzz around the league is [the Thunder will] talk to teams like the Milwaukee Bucks or New York Knicks to test the waters."

That isn't the only report linking Paul to the Knicks. And if it happens, don't be shocked if Carmelo Anthony returns to Madison Square Garden, per Marc Berman of the New York Post:

"If point guard Chris Paul makes his way to the Knicks via a trade, sources have said Anthony is likely to want to follow. Anthony and Paul are close friends who dreamed of playing together in the NBA and saw their alliance in Houston end prematurely.

"Both players were represented by Knicks president Leon Rose when he was basketball chief of Creative Artists Agency. A source said Rose is amenable to an Anthony return even without Paul."

Imagine Anthony returning to New York after his exit following then-president Phil Jackson's very public smear campaign against the veteran. It would be quite the reunion now that the Knicks are far removed from the Jackson days.

Knicks fans may not be thrilled with the prospect of reuniting two aging stars at a time when the team probably should be dedicated to a rebuild around younger players like RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson and Kevin Knox.

But consider the possibility of the team also making a splash in free agency by signing Fred VanVleet. According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, "the Knicks, according to sources, are among the other teams with interest" in the free-agent guard.

Imagine a Knicks team built around Paul, VanVleet—yes, they could play together, as VanVleet and Kyle Lowry coexisted quite well with the Toronto Raptors—Anthony, Barrett and Robinson (this assumes Julius Randle would be moved in the CP3 trade alongside other young players and/or picks).

That isn't a championship contender. But it is a core group that could easily snag the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. Should the Knicks be worried about making the playoffs, which would likely lead to an early exit, at the expense of building around younger players?

Probably not. But if Giannis Antetokounmpo hits free agency next summer, you can bet the Knicks will try like hell to sign him. Having the surrounding parts of a potential contender is likely the only way he will be lured away from the Milwaukee Bucks or turn away other, more competent organizations.

All of this, of course, is theoretical. Maybe Paul is traded elsewhere. Maybe VanVleet returns to Toronto and pairs with Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby on a contender for years to come. Anthony could simply return to the Portland Trail Blazers, with whom he revived his career. And truth be told, the chances of signing Antetokounmpo probably aren't high enough for the Knicks to abandon a more asset-based rebuild.

In truth, they should be using their cap space to nab draft picks and young players in exchange for taking on bad contracts. But hey, they are the Knicks. They were reportedly convinced they were getting Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving last offseason. Don't be surprised if they try to pull off the short-term fix yet again.