Getty Rob Pelinka, Darvin Ham, Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are starting to string wins together and are showing signs that things might be turning around for them.
“It’s a long shot, sure, but there were questions about the logic from both sides on the five-year, $251 million deal Beal inked with the Wizards this summer. Washington has been fine so far, but there’s still no evidence of a breakthrough coming at any point of whatever remains of Beal’s prime. Maybe by the time he becomes trade eligible in mid-January, both sides will have accepted that,” Buckley wrote on December 1.
It’s worth noting that Beal’s $251 million deal is structured to rise incrementally over the next five years, starting at $43.2 million this season and ending at $57.1 million in the 2026-27 season, so, the Lakers would need to be incredibly confident that his fit alongside Anthony Davis can sustain multiple championship pushes if they were to make a move for him.
Lakers May Look for Smaller Deals
On a November 30 episode of Lakers Talk with Allen Sliwa, The Athletic’s Jovan Buha discussed the notion of potentially packaging some of the team’s smaller contracts together in a trade, potentially due to the increased production Los Angeles’ is getting from Russell Westbrook in his new bench role.
“Kendrick Nunn has not lived up to his contract and has been really inconsistent this season. And Patrick Beverley has still been solid defensively but is averaging career-lows in points, 3-point percentage, and has just really been a non-factor offensively…So I think looking at Pat and Kendrick specifically, those have been the two names that have come up a lot in potential deals where the Lakers could package those guys together and get to about $20 million combined. And, then you throw in a first-round pick potentially, and all of sudden there are a lot of options where you get upwards of $22-25 million back in salary and throw in a pick and maybe you get a high-level starter or two coming back the other way if its a rebuilding team that’s looking to shed some salary,” Buha said.
Of course, the Lakers will make the trade they deem to be the best value for the team, regardless of whether that includes Westbrook or not, and the same can be said for their future first-round draft picks.
Westbrook Could Extend Career Courtesy of New Role
Another reason why the Lakers may be reluctant to trade away Westbrook this season is because they’ve stumbled upon a role that suits his skillset at this point in his career which could potentially extend his tenure in the NBA.
“Let’s see what happens with the thumb injury he suffered last night (November 21). If that turns into a thing that will obviously impact it. But yeah, I think so. I’ve been saying if he’s willing to sacrifice, which can be very hard for a player of his stature and what he has been for years and years and years in this league. If he’s willing to sacrifice and go to making a Derrick Rose-like transition, to being ‘I’m gonna be the leader of the second unit. I’m gonna come in, I’m gonna do my thing. Might only be for twenty minutes a night, but I can really do that,” Keith Smith said on a November 22 episode of the Postin’ Up With Keith Smith & Adam Taylor podcast.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, trading Westbrook is the most logical way to acquire Beal, given the Los Angeles guard’s good relationship with Wizards fans, and how his contract matches up cap-wise. Still, there is plenty of time before the February trade deadline, so the Lakers can continue to look at ways to get creative in the trade market.