Los Angeles Lakers Rumored To Fill PG Spot With Russell Westbrook or Chris Paul
Could the franchise break a deal to nab one of the top two highest-paid NBA players?
As the NBA Finals has capped off with a stellar win by the Milwaukee Bucks, the off-season is in sight and the Los Angeles Lakers are on the lookout for a new point guard. Rumor has it that the Lakers franchise has their eyes on Washington Wizards’ Russell Westbrook and Phoenix Suns’ Chris Paul who both top the chart as the highest-paid NBA players.
Earlier in the season, the Lakers offered point guard Dennis Schroder an $84 million USD contract which he rejected in hopes for a larger cut in the upcoming free agency period. If the 27-year-old decides to leave, the franchise would be tied to the mid-level exception for a replacement.
The Lakers are in talks about a sign-and-trade deal to bring Westbrook back home to Los Angeles as per sports platform The Undefeated. This could potentially mean offering up Schroder along with forward Kyle Kuzma and guard Talen Horton-Tucker.
Westbrook came off a strong season averaging a triple-double and led the NBA with 11.7 assists per game. Putting the explosive All-Star alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis could seal the gap that the franchise was looking for but would mean a hefty risk as the 32-year-old walks on a $91 million USD due over the next two seasons.
On the other hand, Paul just closed out the season as he led the Suns to the Finals and previously chose not to join the Lakers in the last off-season. Securing CP3 would likely mean a sign-and-trade deal if he opts out or a standard trade if he opts in. If he chooses to go with the former option, the Lakers would have to tighten the belt as the 11-time All-Star could choose to sign a long-term deal amounting to $100 million.
Besides Schroder, Horton-Tucker is also coming into the off-season as a restricted free agent, therefore making it a tricky situation if the Lakers would want to get them to agree to a sign-and-trade deal.
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