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Lakers Rumors: Chris Paul, not Steph Curry is the Point Guard Target in 2017

| Sep 07, 2016 05:35 AM EDT

Chris Paul and Anthony Davis

The latest rumors surrounding the Lakers bordered on the outrageous notion of "stealing" Steph Curry.

That concept is difficult to fathom, but Morning News USA speculated on it on the basis of the presence of Luke Walton, former Golden State Warriors assistant coach who also acted as an interim coach for the Warriors last season leading them to a 39-4 record.

"The Lakers hired Luke Walton as their head coach this summer. The rookie coach could eventually convince Curry to take over in Los Angeles. It is a well-known fact that Curry did enjoy playing under Walton early last season when Steve Kerr was still recovering from a back injury."

The article contended that the Lakers have "one of the most promising rosters" in the league. While they do have two 2nd overall picks in D'Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram, also Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle, it's still a far cry from the Golden State Warriors team.

Luke Walton's presence did not sway any of the Golden State Warriors free agents to join him in LA. Although it could be argued that the Lakers did not make an effort, it was hard to imagine that Harrison Barnes or Festus Ezeli wasn't even considered by the Lakers considering they matched the team's positional needs.

Nevertheless, they ended up on different teams despite Walton being with the Lakers-a team that's on the same state as the Bay Area which would have been a good destination for them geographically.

One point guard that the Lakers could possibly try to lure is Chris Paul. Paul has been a Lakers' target since the team attempted (actually completed) a trade for him in 2011. That was infamously vetoed by then NBA Commissioner David Stern who had that power since the New Orleans Hornets was collectively owned by the league board at that time.

Paul could leave the LA Clippers is they fail to win the title and the Clippers' other free agent, Blake Griffin decides to bolt. When this happens, the Clippers will have to rebuild and since they are so reliant on their Big Three and they don't even have young players, the Lakers will be steps ahead of them.

Not to say that Paul is tied to the city of Los Angeles, but the Lakers young core could impress and Paul's leadership could definitely help this young team. Also, a much more realistic target than Steph Curry.

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