It’s no secret that LeBron James and Chris Paul have long dreamed of playing with each other. The dream nearly became reality on a few occasions, but the two future Hall of Famers routinely found themselves on opposing sides.
Is the James-Paul union finally about to happen? With the Spurs shutting down Victor Wembanyama, and potentially tanking the season for a high lottery pick, some analysts have floated the idea of the franchise buying out the contract of Paul. In such a scenario, the Lakers are expected to emerge as favorites to sign Paul ahead of the playoffs.
Fadeaway World explained why Paul could be the perfect addition to the Lakers’ bench unit, ensuring minimal lack of production when James and Luka Doncic take a breather.
“Now, at 39 years old, he may not be the superstar he once was, but he remains an elite floor general with invaluable playoff experience,” wrote Eddie Bitar. “Adding him alongside LeBron James and Luka Doncic would give the Lakers another high-IQ playmaker, stabilizing their offense while setting the stage for one last superteam run.
Chris Paul Can Still Contribute
“With the Western Conference wide open beyond the dominant OKC Thunder and possibly the Denver Nuggets, this could be the move that finally makes the Lakers true contenders again. Let’s dive into why this works out for all parties involve.”
Elsewhere, Last Word on Sports argued that the 2025 playoffs offer Paul his last-ever chance to win a championship. Paul came closest to winning a title when he led the Suns to the 2021 NBA Finals, only to lose to Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s Bucks.
“Paul will turn 40 years old in May. This might be his last chance for a playoff push and his first ring,” wrote Aleksandar Mishkov. “In a limited role, CP3 is still very useful. This year, he has yet to miss a game. In 29 minutes of action, he is averaging 9.2 points, four rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game while shooting 41.4% from the floor and 35.9% from three-point range.”
CP3 – JJ Redick Connection
It’s worth pointing out that Paul and Lakers head coach JJ Redick are close friends and former teammates on the Clippers. After the Los Angeles wildfires ruined Redick’s family home, Paul and Wembanyama made the kind gesture of giving autographed jerseys to his sons, who lost prized memorabilia in the tragedy.
Redick thanked Paul for his kind gesture.
“Chris is like a brother to me,” Redick said, via BasketNews. “We were talking about your inner circles. When you’ve been in the league long enough, you have this circle of people you like, people you love, and then there are your brothers — and Chris is in that inner circle of brothers.”
“He called me this afternoon and said, ‘Vic and I are going to go, whether we win or lose, and give your boys the jerseys.’ He’s well aware that they’re huge NBA fans. I ran a podcast out of my home for two years, and all the players would come through. They’d either get a jersey or a card signed… they lost all that. It was nice of them to do it.”
Paul also made several appearances on Redick’s “The Old Man & the Three” podcast.
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