It's going to be an interesting offseason for Los Angeles Lakers rumors as the team has some work to do. They not only own one of the top four picks in this summer's NBA Draft but also are rumored to be looking at free agents. However, it appears that the Lakers may be focused on making a big trade to land a star player rather than signing any of the coveted free agents. The Houston Rockets' Chris Paul is one name that has popped up among others.

Chris Paul could be "face-saving trade"

In a recent Sporting News report from Sean Devaney, it's mentioned that the Los Angeles Lakers rumors now extend to Chris Paul.

Some of the teams said to be interested in the veteran point guard are the Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, and Phoenix Suns.

Devaney mentioned that the New York Knicks and Lakers are also part of this conversation because both teams are going to be players in free agency. For example, the Lakers may be interested in Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, and Kawhi Leonard, to name a few free agents. Should either team "strike out," Devaney reasons they'll "need a face-saving trade to rescue the summer." Just recently, LeBron James was seen hanging out with former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook and CP3 for some Memorial Day fun.

The Houston Rockets bowed out to the Golden State Warriors during the latest edition of the NBA Playoffs.

Since then, it's been noted by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that the entire Rockets roster may be on the table as the team looks to get better. Of that roster, it's probably safe to assume that the reigning NBA MVP James Harden is the least likely player for the team to deal, but CP3 makes sense.

That said, trading for CP3 may not be in the Lakers' best interest.

He's a veteran, but is age 34 and dealing with injuries frequently, something that hampered the Lakers' 2018-19 NBA season. In addition, Paul is going into his second year on a four-year, $159.7 million deal.

Two other possible All-Star trade targets

In addition to those Chris Paul Lakers rumors, there are two other NBA All-Star players coming up as trade targets.

One of those is the New Orleans Pelicans' Anthony Davis. There's no surprise there, as he was the team's main target this past season. Magic Johnson's attempts to make a deal happy with Dell Demps and the Pelicans failed ahead of the All-Star break. It was also believed those trade headlines hurt team chemistry in Los Angeles.

However, Pelicans beat writer Andrew Lopez appeared on the Mason & Ireland show (clip below via ESPN Los Angeles). He mentioned that some people in the New Orleans organization "value" some of the "good assets" that the Lakers have to offer.

The second All-Star player who the Lakers could look towards is the Wizards' Bradley Beal.

He carried the team this past season as his fellow All-Star teammate John Wall was out due to injury. The Wizards have a new general manager at the helm who could try to move the team towards a rebuild which doesn't include Beal. In that case, if he's available it could be wise for the Lakers to consider adding a player of his talents alongside King James.

In order to land CP3, Davis, or Beal, the Lakers are most likely going to have to part with a few young stars and possibly their No. 4 pick in the upcoming draft. That said, all eyes are on the front office to make something big happen and turn things around for the 2019 NBA season. The fanbase is certainly hungry for that return to playoff glory.
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