"A 5th championship for LeBron James is looking dimmer"- Skip Bayless seemingly ends Lakers superstar's hopes after Bradley Beal trade
On June 18, Fox Sports analyst Skip Bayless once again made a controversial statement about LeBron James, suggesting that his chances of winning a fifth championship were diminishing. Bayless took to Twitter to express his opinion, mentioning other teams and players he believes are currently ahead of LeBron in the championship race.
Now a 5th championship for LeBron James is looking dimmer and dimmer. Now he's looking up at Denver, at KD/Book/Beal, even at Kawhi who will be much better after getting his knee cleaned out.
"Now a 5th championship for LeBron James is looking dimmer and dimmer," Bayless Tweeted. "Now he's looking up at Denver, at KD/Book/Beal, even at Kawhi who will be much better after getting his knee cleaned out."
Skip Bayless' comment came shortly after it was announced that the Phoenix Suns were acquiring Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards, with a potential third team involved in re-routing Chris Paul to a contending team.
In this context, a report by Marc Stein indicated that the Los Angeles Lakers could become a potential destination for Chris Paul in free agency, which could create a formidable team alongside LeBron James.
"The Lakers’ current Plan A, which calls for re-signing free agents Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura and trying to sign Chris Paul as a free agent should Paul make it to the open market in the wake of his inclusion in the Beal-to-Phoenix trade," Stein wrote.
Assuming the Los Angeles Lakers are able to pair Paul with LeBron James, they would create their own big three, giving LeBron an opportunity to continue challenging for championships before he calls time on his career.
Kendrick Perkins wants Chris Paul to land with Lakers.
During a recent episode of ESPN's NBA Today, former NBA Champion Kendrick Perkins discussed why he would like to see Chris Paul team up with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
"Chris Paul to the Lakers would shake up the league... We heard LeBron James talking about retirement... But what it did make me realize is that is he losing a little motivation right now? ... CP3 would be the missing piece."
— Kendrick Perkins
https://t.co/S77nUQOzzD
“Chris Paul to the Lakers would shake up the league," Perkins said. "You know why? We heard LeBron James talking about retirement, and we know damn well he’s not going anywhere. But what it did make me realize is that is he losing a little motivation right now."
"Pairing up with one of his great friends in the point guard, CP3 would give him that extra juice to say, ‘You know what? I’m excited about coming back to next season.’”
Chris Paul, 38, continues to perform at a high level despite his advancing years. This past season, the All-Star veteran averaged 13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 8.9 assists per game while shooting 44% from the field and 37.5% from three-point range.
The Los Angeles Lakers would need to get creative in order to absorb Paul's $30 million contract in a potential three-team deal, but if they're truly keen on pairing him with LeBron James, we can expect Rob Pelinka to push hard to make a deal happen.
After all, Pelinka was responsible for the mid-season retooling of the Lakers roster, making multiple moves around the February 9 trade deadline. Those moves helped transform the Lakers into a Western Conference Finalist. So, adding Paul could be the final trade that puts the Lakers back in genuine contention for a championship.