The Los Angeles Lakers are tied to Wizards All-Star Bradley Beal, who dates back to 2018, when it was reported they would have a hard time agreeing to trade Brandon Ingram for him. After the season was over, there were rumors that Beal would be a backup target if the team could not land Anthony Davis, and before the NBA bubble last season, there were rumors that the Lakers were interested in a trade deal for Beal.
We all know what happened after that. The Lakers proved that they do not need a Big Three to win a title, and that LeBron James and Anthony Davis plus an excellent cast were good enough. They then went out and slammed themselves hard this off-season as they upgraded their roster, making the season’s trade difficult.
Yet we point it all out because there are headlines Beal once again breathlessly connects with the Lakers, so even though an agreement is difficult and highly unlikely, their previous interest is nonetheless remarkable. Because if General Manager Rob Pelinka has shown anything in this position at this point in the past year, it’s that he’s good with contingency plans, so we can never fully govern the Lakers.
The latest version comes from a somewhat extraordinary remark by Adrian Wojnarowski while discussing the Beal situation on ESPN’s “The Jump”, but since Woj is just as plugged in as it is, his certainty here is still remarkable. mine):
‘There is not a team in the league that does not want to find a way to add Bradley Beal. I think for teams like Golden State or Denvers, teams that have assets that claim health if they are healthy, but also Let’s say if you are Golden State, you have the Minnesota draft pick, if you are Denver, have you’re a great young player in Michael Porter Jr., you have an All-Star in Jamal Murray in the backcourt. Now I’m not saying they’re going to do it, but you look at those teams and say ‘they have enough to get into the conversation.’
‘And that will be the decision for teams across the league. Of course the Lakers and Clippers would like to get involved, but do they have the concept choices? Do they have the young players needed to get a package from other teams? Maybe not.
‘And so you’ll see a frenzy if and when Bradley Beal comes on the market, and he’s got a say in where he’s going because of this contract situation. Unless a team is only willing to do just one thing and hope to convince him to stay on the long term and have him under contract next season, but it’s pretty risky for someone you might be the first round- choice will give up and probably your best young player (for). I think it’s all considerations for teams, but boy, I do not think there will be many who will not make a call and sit and brainstorm ‘could we get Bradley Beal if he were available?’ ‘
You can see the entire exchange starting at 3:30 below:
No matter how genuine and serious you think the Lakers’ interest has sounded on this basis – it seems to me that Woj has mostly just acknowledged the fact that every team wants to trade for Beal, who is very good at basketball – I think we Can all agree that it certainly does not sound like something is at hand. Beal has not even asked yet, and is under contract until 2022 with an option of $ 36 million for the 2022-23 season.
Given how hopeless the Wizards situation is and how the NBA works, it would still be a real shock if Beal did not at some point ask to deal with him (and it would be hard to blame him, to be honest Even our Wizards sister site, Bullets Forever, gets it).
If he does, do the Lakers have the assets to participate in the race? It’s hard to believe they can outbid other teams unless Beal pulls an AD and scares off other suitors by just wanting to go to LA.
Even then, because of the hardship, it is almost impossible to make an agreement work according to the collective bargaining agreement. I spent about 10 minutes on the ESPN trading machine, and although Pelinka and the Lakers certainly planned better, it clearly would not be easy.
After the season, it would possibly be easier, but still difficult due to the first round that still tied the Lakers in the Davis series.
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Image via Real GM
So basic, as fun as trolling other NBA fans about Beal being a #FutureLaker – and it’s fun – it will also be quite difficult to make it happen. That’s good, because the Lakers are just as favorite. Not a bunch of teams trying to end up in the seemingly inevitable Beal whip can say the same.
For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow Harrison on Twitter at @hmfaigen.