Report: Chris Paul joining Lakers 'a real possibility'

Remember the photo of LeBron James, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade sharing a banana boat on vacation in 2015? 

The viral pic — which didn't include Carmelo Anthony, who was on the same vacation —immediately sparked rumors of the four real-life close friends playing together in the NBA. 

In a subsequent interview, James told Bleacher Report, "I really hope that before our career is over, we can all play together. At least one, maybe one or two seasons — me, Melo, D-Wade, CP — we can get a year in. I would actually take a pay cut to do that. It would be pretty cool. I've definitely had thoughts about it."

While James' dream of playing with all three together didn't come true, he did play half a season with Wade in a Cavaliers uniform in 2017-18 and a full season with Anthony as part of the Lakers in 2021-22. 

Now, James could potentially share a locker room with Paul.

According to Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus, Paul could make his way to the Lakers as a free agent this offseason. 

"I would be remiss without mentioning Chris Paul [to Lakers] is a real possibility," Pincus told The Athletic's Jovan Buha. "There is a reasonable chance he gets traded or just cut by the Warriors. He and LeBron obviously have a close relationship. There is a universe where the Lakers sign Chris Paul. It makes a lot of sense to me. Is Chris coming for the minimum? I don’t know. I don't want to say he comes cheap to the Lakers, but in the absence of a better offer, I could see that."

Golden State has until June 28 to guarantee Paul's $30.8 million salary. The Warriors are widely expected to waive the 39-year-old guard with ownership reportedly intent on reducing their luxury-tax bill.

The Lakers would have nothing to lose in signing Paul to a veteran minimum contract, thereby maintaining cap flexibility to add a third star. The Rob Pelinka-led front office is expected to aggressively pursue a trade for a star player such as Donovan Mitchell or Trae Young.