It says a lot when the offseason buzz hits full throttle before the NBA Finals even tip off. And as always, the Lakers are right in the middle of the storm. Neither Luka Doncic nor LeBron James have confirmed their extensions yet—so yes, that’s priority number one. But beyond that, the Lakers have a laundry list of roster fixes to address. Two glaring issues stand out: the need for a defensive-minded center and some seasoned, playoff-tested experience. While they haven’t plugged the hole in the paint just yet, a candid confession from a veteran guard might just make the latter a little easier to solve.

Just to confirm, that player is Spurs veteran Chris Paul. Even in a so called “off season”, Paul managed to set records that just speak volumes of his future Hall of Fame status. He started all 82 games for the Spurs this season, becoming the first player to play all games in season 20 or later. The man oozes class. But why Lakers? Well, it’s due to the commitment to his family. He said so in his interview with Pat McAfee.

“I talked to my family about it. My son just turned 16. My daughter’s 12. The past six seasons, I’ve lived without them… Okay, see, I’ve been around a few teams. But I’ve been away from them for the last six years. So it’s a little different… My daughter actually hoops now. So before I flew out here, I was in the gym with her for 20 minutes. Like with kids, sometimes you just got to do short sessions. So I was in 20 minutes doing ball handling with her and it was priceless,” said Paul on the show.

His family lives in LA, and that simple fact says a lot. It adds weight to his desire to finish his career in Los Angeles—a sentiment he’s voiced more than once, especially his interest in teaming up with the King. With the Lakers deep into the second tax apron, their flexibility is limited, but Paul enters this offseason as a free agent. Sure, playing time may be scarce with Luka Doncic commanding the ball, but veteran leadership like Paul’s doesn’t come around often. If the Lakers want to maximize LeBron’s final years, this is the kind of move they need to explore.

But enough of the hypotheticals. Let’s look at what’s already in motion. Doncic reportedly got traded from the Mavericks for health concerns—something GM Nico Harrison wasn’t exactly thrilled about. And if you’ve been tracking Lakers Twitter this offseason, it’s clear: the Don seems to be on a mission to flip the narrative.

Luka Doncic’s fiance has been cooking pro-health meals all off-season

There’s never been doubts of his actual gameplay. On his day, there might not be a better player than him across the NBA. And even in a lackluster Lakers team, he’s managed a 28.2/8.2/7.7 statline, shooting 45% from the field in just 28 games. But his fitness problems are so apparent you can see it on the court. He’s obviously not the fittest. And at times, he’s a little slower than the rest; probably a bit lazy too.

But that’s all about to change soon. In some off-season videos of Luka, you can clearly see how much sharper and meaner he looks. His secret? A state-of-the-art lean and green diet made by his fiance, Anamaria Goltes. But fans have seen this before. He’s always in shape during the off-season. It’s the start of the season, Luka Magic, that we all wanna see.

A partnership of Luka Doncic-LeBron James-Chris Paul should be illegal. To be fair, all of this is just speculation from CP3’s confessions of his love of basketball and his family. The combination of the two is only possible at the Lakers, or the Clippers. Where do you think the legendary free agent will play next season?