So grain of salt because of the author.. But ESPN & Chris Broussard are reporting that CP3 is upset with the Clippers because he is getting all of the blame for the firing of CP3.
Again I will bring up this point, 12:01am on July 1st, you get Mitch, Jim & Kobe on the phone and call Chris Paul. You try to sell him on coming to the Lakers, sacrificing one year salary wise, and staying long term..
Here’s the crux of your argument
1. You were supposed to be here anyway, but David Stern blocked it.
2. You don't have to pack up again, and move to a new city.
3. You guarantee that he gets a max contract the next year regardless of what happens. As to not making him feel insulted, you state that you want to give him a max, but you’re 1 year off from giving it to him, while not having to gut a team from contending for a title. Not an insult to him, just the place contracts ended up.
3. You don’t need to convince him that in LA, on the Clippers, you will always be in the shadow. During the playoffs, the Clippers were still playing, and Lakers had been eliminated, but the entire city’s sports media was in El Segundo covering Lakers exit interviews on a night the Clippers were playing at home IN THE PLAYOFFS.
4. You get to team up with the best team talent wise that he has ever been on, and say who you plan on having. Steve Nash as the backup. Kobe, Meeks, you’re resigning Clark, Pau, Jordan Hill, and with CP3 coming in, Dwight will come back as the anchor in the middle.
Blake or MWP (one will be back), and then say you will look on picking up one more person for the rotation.
5. Sell him on moving forward, and that any team that CP3 goes to will have to rebuild as well in a year, or won’t have room to add to the roster after the 1st year of the contract. You sell him on the Lakers resiliency to continuously build title contenders, and win championships even when they are counted out. The Front Office is extremely proactive, doesn’t have trouble moving pieces for the good of winning.
Will it happen? Almost impossible. But I think there is a little window in there that he will hear what you have to say.
Can’t hurt. And if you pull off the miracle. Not even a little doubt for D12 to stay, and you are immediately back at the top of title contention, with a upbeat future.
No risk – huge reward proposition.
If you're Mitch & Jim, you don't expect for this to happen, but it's the first move you make in Free Agency
