Getty Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal.
Heads were turned when Shams Charania of The Athletic revealed that the Los Angeles Lakers have expressed interest in acquiring Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal a number of times. This isn’t the first time a team has tried to get Beal away from the Wizards and it won’t be the last. While nothing can happen until the offseason, it seems like this would be a pipe dream for the Lakers.
Beal is under contract through next season so if Los Angeles wants him anytime soon, they’ll have to trade. The problem is that they gave away all of their good assets to acquire Anthony Davis. They don’t really have much more to offer outside of a disappointing Kyle Kuzma.
There’s also the fact that Beal hasn’t given any indication he’d like to switch teams. According to Fred Katz, Wizards insider for The Athletic, the shooting guard isn’t going anywhere:
I’m not saying the Wizards are going to trade Bradley Beal. As I’ve written over and over again, they don’t want to do that, and he doesn’t want to play elsewhere. At least for the immediate future, a deal is not happening. But the rumors will pop up because that’s how this stuff works.
Reports will still come out about teams having internal discussions about Beal because he is an excellent player and, shockingly, front offices have internal discussions about excellent players all the time. Every rumor you see in the great NBA abyss is about other organizations lusting for him while the Wizards sit quietly, not answering the company phone. The rest is a smattering of commentators or columnists wondering where a good landing spot might be for Beal if things went sour next to John Wall next year and circumstances forced a currently unforeseen trade.
Based on what Katz is saying, it doesn’t sound like there’s much momentum for a potential Beal trade.
Will the Beal Rumors Go Away Anytime Soon?
While the Wizards and Beal don’t seem keen on divorce, that doesn’t mean rumors are going anywhere. Katz explained what Beal would need to do to kill the rumors:
Beal committed to the organization when he signed the extension last fall, but all the new contract did was push back the possibility of free agency one year to 2022, when he can opt-out and hit the open market. He’ll be 29 years old then. If he re-ups with a four-year deal that summer, the rumors will stop.
Beal is one of the best guards in the NBA so as long as the Wizards aren’t real title contenders, teams are going to do what they can to get him. It seems like he wants to stick around in Washington for the long term but things could always change.
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What Does This All Mean for the Lakers?
If Beal is to get traded, it won’t be to the Lakers anytime soon. They won’t be able to offer the Wizards an enticing package. That said, the team could be big players for Beal in 2023 when he is a free agent. They can’t offer him the same amount of money Washington will but they can offer him the ability to play with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
At that point, James will be close to retirement. That means Beal and Davis would lead the team, forming an incredible duo for a long time to come. It remains to be seen if Beal has any interest in making this happen, but could be what he wants if he doesn’t believe the Wizards are heading in the right direction.
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