Chris Paul to the Lakers: Guide to the Potential Move

Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers has been an intriguing thought for quite some time.

There has been rumblings that the club could look to pursue him via trade as an alternative to a potential Dwight Howard pursuit, and his presence on the roster could really give the Lakers a sizable competitive advantage both in the present and well into the future.

He's young enough that the Lakers could be his team after Kobe Bryant walks away from the game, and he displayed last season that he's nowhere near ready to retire his crown as best point guard in the league.

The need for an upgrade at point guard is obvious, and there isn't a more emphatic addition at the position than Paul.

With career averages of 18.7 points, 10 assists and 2.4 steals per game, it's obvious as to why the market is going to be flooded with suitors for Paul.

Unlike several other interested teams, the Lakers may actually have the assets to pull the trigger on a monumental deal.

How It Could Happen: Trade

Although Paul is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2012, the Lakers won't have the cap space necessary to ink him to the maximum contract he's certain to get.

What does that mean? The only viable route to him landing in purple and gold is via trade.

The team currently has over $91 million committed in salary for the 2011-12 season, but about $68 million of that comes from four players: Bryant, Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom.

While the team would likely deal any of its players not named Kobe, it's going to take a whopper of an offer from the Lakers in order to convince the Hornets that dealing Paul would be a good idea.

It's hard to imagine the Lakers dealing both Bynum and Gasol. New coach Mike Brown stated that he's planning to run an offense similar to the one he used during his time in San Antonio, so that would necessitate keeping at least one of the two talented big boys.

Potential Trade:

New Orleans receives: C Andrew Bynum, PF Lamar Odom, PG Steve Blake, two future first-round picks, one future second-round pick

New Orleans gets a legitimate franchise center to build around, as well as one of the most versatile players in the game. The team could look to spin off Odom in a separate deal should the front office feel that he wouldn't be of long-term benefit.

The team would also have the luxury of moving Emeka Okafor to the power forward position to create a formidable front court and also wouldn't have to dole out a sizable investment in an effort to retain free agent David West.

Los Angeles receives: PG Chris Paul, PG Jarrett Jack, $4 million trade exception

Paul forms a new, more impressive big three for the Lakers alongside Bryant and Pau Gasol, providing for a team that can sustain productivity both now and into the future.

How Paul Fits in with the Lakers

What team doesn't Paul make better?

While there are certain clubs that obviously don't have a need at point guard (Chicago, for example), almost every team in the league would be happy to upgrade at point guard with Paul running the show.

With elite court vision and a basketball IQ that other hoopers could only dream of, CP3 would be able to facilitate the flow of the offense in a way that the Lakers haven't seen in quite some time.

He's got the skills to make all of his teammates better, and he'd really open up the floor for other guys within the group to make plays they haven't been able to make heretofore.

Simply put, Paul wouldn't just "fit in" with the Lakers; he would be an ideal fit alongside Bryant in the backcourt.

Chances of Lakers Winning a Championship with Paul

The Lakers are at the forefront of the conversation when discussing championship contenders.

Even if Paul's arrival onto the Lakers comes at the expense of a current player or two, it wouldn't shrink the team's championship chances—in fact, it might just increase them.

There's so much to like about what he brings to the table, and it's amazing to think how many assists per game Paul could rack up if given the opportunity to work with a more talented group of players than he's been accustomed to in New Orleans.

He knows not to force anything on the court and typically plays mistake-free basketball, so Paul has a real chance to flourish in a big way out under the bright lights of the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

We've seen what he can do by himself with the Hornets, and he guided a team far less talented than the Lakers to two wins over L.A. in the 2011 postseason.

Just imagine what he could do on a much better team.

Odds of Paul Landing in Los Angeles

Current Odds: 20 percent

The Lakers were the second oldest team in the league last season in terms of average age, and the club knows that it has to get younger in order to continually compete in a crowded Western Conference.

At just 26 years old, Paul represents the future of a Lakers team that can still build around its (new) superstar, and there shouldn't be much of a drop-off in the transition.

But that's the long term view.

For the short term, Paul and Bryant could make sweet magic together in the Lakers backcourt, and the team can really take a solid leap over the competition facing the team in the road to another title.

There's a lot to get excited about for Lakers fans if this move were to go down.