The Los Angeles Lakers caught a tough break recently, losing star Austin Reaves for at least a month due to a calf strain. And replacing him won’t be simple.
One thing L.A. is unlikely to do, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer of “The Stein Line,” is invest in an aging on-ball point guard to fill the role. Namely, Fischer reported Saturday, Dec. 27, that free agent Chris Paul is an unlikely candidate for the job.
“I’ve also been strongly advised not to expect the Lakers to emerge as a potential landing spot for Paul,” Fischer wrote. “Despite the 40-year-old’s frequently cited desire to play as close to his Los Angeles-based family as possible, sources say that the Lakers are not considering Paul as a potential in-season addition despite the many years of Paul-to-the-Lakers speculation that [has] swirled league-wide.”
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Paul has a long-standing relationship with Lakers superstar LeBron James, who is about to turn 41 years old. However, James is in the final season of his current contract with Los Angeles, and Paul’s game has trended downward in his age-40 campaign in 2025-26.
“The Lakers have generally been very intentional in targeting players under 30 since the offseason when addressing various roster needs,” Fischer continued, “and word Friday night that Austin Reaves will be lost for at least four weeks has created larger problems for the purple and gold anyway.”
Paul is a 12-time All-Star and one of the league’s best all-time two-way point guards. But as Fischer noted, the Lakers have more pressing issues due to Reaves’ injury and a lack of perimeter defense, which render the acquisition of Paul unlikely.
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