Latest Los Angeles Lakers rumors on Chris Paul, Kyle Kuzma injury, more

1. Lakers still top potential landing spot for Chris Paul?

Right now, the Lakers probably aren’t concerned about pulling off blockbuster trades.

They’re sitting atop the NBA at 12-2, and the offseason pairing of LeBron and AD has gone splendidly. The bench is a whole is exceeding expectations, the wins keep piling up and there’s no reason to believe the train will derail any time soon.

And yet, there’s still a belief that they could be interested in acquiring Chris Paul. That is, according to The Oklahoman’s Berry Tramel:

"The Lakers remain the team most likely to covet Paul. Money is no object to the Lakers. And while Davis and LeBron are going great guns, Davis is injury-prone and LeBron is almost 35. Paul would be an insurance policy. Of course, the Lakers don’t have a lot to offer. They can’t trade a first-round pick until 2026, and outside of Kyle Kuzma, LA has no young talent that would interest the Thunder. After Dec. 15, the Lakers could offer a variety of veteran players, all of whom signed on as free agents in the summer, but who would interest the rebuilding Thunder? Danny Green? Kentavious Caldwell-Pope? Rajon Rondo?"

Put simply, a trade is unlikely. As Tramel points out, the Thunder are clearly rebuilding after an offseason that was largely spent stockpiling draft picks. As Tramel also pointed out, the Lakers don’t have much to offer in that department. They also don’t have any tempting young talent to dangle in front of Oklahoma City — at least that are worth parting with for Paul.

The only way CP3 realistically ends up playing with LeBron this season is via the buyout market. However, the Thunder seem far more likely to wait things out instead of simply cutting the cord. That means they’ll eventually take the best offer, or hang on to him in hopes of finding a trade partner next offseason.

If you were hoping for a Banana Boat reunion, you may be disappointed with the end results. And yet, it’s interesting to hear the Lakers are still atop the list of Paul’s potential suitors.

Stay tuned for now, but don’t put too much stock into it.