Three Chris Paul frontrunners emerge after trade

Chris Paul is being traded to the Washington Wizards this week in a deal that will send Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns.

The move is the culmination of many days of conversations between all parties involved. As a result of how everything went down, Paul is now ineligible to return to Phoenix even after he secures his release from the Wizards. That means he will be playing elsewhere in 2023-24.

At the moment, three teams appear to be legitimate frontrunners for Paul’s services. The first, as reported by NBA insider Marc Stein, is the Los Angeles Lakers.

“There will be lots of interest, with the Lakers at the forefront, if CP3 reaches free agency,” Stein wrote.

Paul has obviously been linked to the Lakers a lot in recent weeks, particularly given their weakness at the point guard position. If he were to come, D’Angelo Russell would likely be on the move to one of the four teams vying for his services.

The Los Angeles Clippers are another squad to keep an eye on, per Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.

“The Washington Wizards are likely to reroute Chris Paul in a trade and the Los Angeles Clippers are expected to pursue a reunion with the future Hall of Famer,” he tweeted.

Obviously, Paul and the Clippers have some history, but he would also be a tremendous fit with Kawhi Leonard and Co. Leonard has been begging the Clippers for a competent, offensively-inclined point guard since his arrival. To date, the closest thing he has gotten to one is Russell Westbrook – who is a significantly worse playmaker than Paul is.

Finally, don’t sleep on the San Antonio Spurs. While the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics are both interested in Paul’s services, his family is based out West. Going all the way to the East Coast seems unlikely unless the opportunity is truly great.

The Spurs have been linked to Paul in recent days because he is viewed as someone who could smoothen Victor Wembanyama’s NBA transition. He proved with the Oklahoma City Thunder that he can really thrive in that sort of mentor role.

One way or another, Paul will start the 2023-24 NBA season in a new uniform. Who will Paul ultimately end up with when it’s all said and done? Time will tell.