Getty Bradley Beal, Los Angeles Lakers
If the Los Angeles Lakers truly want to give LeBron James the best possible chance at winning another championship, they will need to locate and acquire an additional star talent.
According to Action Network’s Matt Moore, one player that could make sense for the purple and gold is Bradley Beal, assuming he calls time on his partnership with the Washington Wizards and pushes for a trade.
Wrote on some trade related things I’ve heard around the league in the last few weeks, including the Bucks’ relative malaise, the Raptors’ high asking prices, and more.
“The Los Angeles Lakers have popped up in multiple reports for the star scoring guard. That would require a typical Lakers-Esque manipulation of the market to force Washington’s hand to give him away for very little beyond Russell Westbrook’s eventually-expiring contract, and their two future first-round picks in 2027 and 2029,” Moore wrote on January 5.
Over his first 24 games of the season, Beal is averaging 22.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 52.5% from the field and 34% from the perimeter. By adding Beal, the Lakers would be giving LeBron the additional star he needs to help drag the Lakers out of mediocrity and back to the postseason.
LeBron James Leads Fan Voting For All-Star Weekend
Despite the Lakers’ current struggles, LeBron has continued to impress on the court and is defying the aging process at the same time. On January 5, the NBA released the first set of fan voting returns for the upcoming All-Star game, with LeBron leading the way among Western Conference frontcourt players.
LeBron James and Kevin Durant lead their respective conferences in the first fan returns of #NBAAllStar Voting presented by AT&T.
Fans account for 50% of the vote to decide All-Star starters. NBA players and a media panel account for 25% each.
The next fan update is Jan. 12.
LeBron isn’t the only Laker to receive a significant amount of votes, either. Anthony Davis, who was playing at an MVP level before injuring his foot, is third among Conference front-court opposition, while Russell Westbrook sits sixth among Western Conference guards, while Austin Reaves trails just behind him at 9th.
Still, it’s LeBron’s inclusion at age 38 that is most impressive, yet, when you’re averaging 29 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game with 51% shooting from the field and 30.1% shooting from deep, you’re always going to be in contention for an All-Star selection.
Lakers Unlikely To Trade Future Draft Picks
In what could be a blow to Moore’s trade proposal for Beal, Howard Beck recently reported that the Lakers are increasingly unlikely to trade away their future first-round draft picks.
“They obviously are not willing to trade the picks…And I’ve heard rumblings, and they’re only rumblings, so I don’t want people to go too far with this or go crazy with the aggregation, but a couple (of) people around the league have told me in recent weeks that they believe that the front office has essentially been told not to trade the picks, that they’re guarding those,” Beck said on a January 3 episode of ‘The Crossover NBA Show with Chris Mannix and Howard Beck.’
NEW @TheCrossover Pod w/@HowardBeck: Interpreting LeBron’s recent comments, Minnesota’s issues, Denver’s place among conference contenders, more. Links:
While holding onto your future assets makes perfect sense, the Lakers would likely have a change of heart if a player such as Beal became available because quality scoring guards who can create for themselves and others don’t come around very often, and acquiring him would give LeBron the additional star he’s been craving, thus putting the pressure on him to deliver.