NBA Rumors: ESPN explains why Chris Paul doesn't want to team up with LeBron James in the Lakers

The NBA Draft and free agency are just around the corner, which means that the next couple of days are going to be flooded with rumors of potential trades, signings, and shocking moves that may or may not go down.

One of the players that aremost likely to be dealt next week is Chris Paul, who’s no longer a part of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s plans and that would love to play for a contender and pursue his first-ever NBA Championship.

And, even though the Los Angeles Lakers looked like a logical destination and the best fit for Paul’s skills, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith recently claimed that CP3 isn’t interested in teaming up with his lifelong friend LeBron James because the Lakers are already established.

Stephen A. Smith Explains Why Chris Paul Doesn’t Want To Play For The Lakers

“CP3 does not want to go to the [Los Angeles] Lakers. The reasons he doesn’t want to go to the Lakers is because they’re already established, they’re already accomplished, and there’s really nothing to do for them,” Smith said. “They would only be doing something for him, and that is ring-chasing, and that’s not the kind of ring-chasing that he wants to be a part of in terms of stacking the deck. He’d rather go some place where he could be himself and be the leader that he is,” He concluded.

That’s a fair and valid point, assuming Paul actually feels that way. Chris Paul is widely considered one of the greatest point guards in the history of the game, but the lack of playoff success has tainted his otherwise flawless résumé.

Even so, it would be hard to judge him for teaming up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis at this point in his career. He’s aging, yes, but he’s still one of the top-tier two-way players in the league, and it’s not like he’s goig to be carried to a title.

Then again, if he believes that he’ll be better off somewhere else and a move to a different team won’t tarnish his legacy, then he’s also earned the right to call the shots and decide where he’s heading to next.