Paul’s former teammate picks best spot for star PG

Former Dallas Mavericks guard JJ Redick. Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Paul’s former teammate picks best landing spot for star PG

By Vinny Somma | Last updated 6/20/23

Which team Chris Paul suits up for next season remains unclear at this moment. One thing for certain is both Los Angeles franchises appear to have their eyes on the future Hall of Famer.

The Lakers and Clippers are both rumored to have the 38-year-old point guard atop their offseason wish list if the Washington Wizards opt to trade or agree to a buyout with Paul.

Speaking on his The Old Man & The Three podcast, Paul's former teammate JJ Redick explained why he believes Paul would be best suited to join the Lakers over the Clippers.

“If I'm Chris and I'm like ‘Where gives me the best chance to potentially compete for a championship?' To me it feels like, next year in particular, it will be more the Lakers than the Clippers," Redick said.

.@jj_redick on why Chris Paul to the Lakers is a good fit from a basketball perspective. pic.twitter.com/Dqfb48bhcv
— TheOldMan&TheThree (@OldManAndThree) June 19, 2023

It's difficult to poke many, if any, holes in Redick's argument. Paul's basketball IQ and playmaking ability (9.5 apg career average) is an ideal fit for a Lakers team looking to take ball-handling pressure off of LeBron James.

Additionally, the Lakers have made the Western Conference Finals in two of the past four seasons, including winning an NBA title in 2019-20. The Clippers, on the other hand, have failed to advance out of the first round in back-to-back years.

While teaming up with James and Anthony Davis might be the best path for Paul to earn a ring, ESPN's Brian Windhorst believes the Clippers might actually have the edge in adding the 12-time All-Star.

Paul spent six seasons with the Clippers from 2011-17, advancing to the Western Conference semifinals on three occasions.

"I think that the Clippers are a strong candidate, and I would go so far as to say that they may have the edge here in trying to get Chris Paul if he becomes a free agent."

Brian Windhorst says the Clippers would be a better fit for CP3 than the Lakerspic.twitter.com/KHN4QTQUsa
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 19, 2023

If Paul is ultimately dealt out of Washington, the Clippers possess far more tradeable contracts than the Lakers.

According to The Athletic's Danny Leroux, the Clippers need to include $24.6M in outgoing salary to acquire Paul in a trade. Eric Gordon ($20.9M), Marcus Morris Sr. ($17.1M) and Robert Covington ($11.7M) are all names that fit the bill as potential collateral to facilitate a Paul reunion in Los Angeles.

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