Los Angeles Lakers: 4 reasons to consider trading for Bradley Beal

4. He could be the second star LeBron needs

History has shown that LeBron James needs a superstar or near-superstar, plus one more good or All-Star caliber player in order to lead his team to an NBA World Championship. If Beal isn’t a true superstar, he’s not that far away.

Early in his career, he was known as mostly a spot-up shooter. But over the years he’s diversified his game and made himself more of a versatile threat.

In his rookie season, 64.4 percent of his made shots were assisted on. His next two seasons, over 50 percent of his made baskets were assisted on. But that number has drastically dropped to 35.5 percent last season and 41.2 percent so far this season.

That would suggest that Beal has become a solid threat to create (and make) his own shot. Which is something the Lakers need, especially when they’re forced into their halfcourt offense.

That would give someone that they can go to who can carry the offense for a stretch when Lebron is either resting or should be used as a decoy. Think about how Dwyane Wade and later Kyrie Irving gave LeBron’s teams that luxury, especially in the playoffs where defenses get tighter the deeper you get into a series.

He also averages five assists a game, which means that he’ll look for the open man when appropriate. In his first five seasons he averaged only 3.1 assists a game, so he’s clearly also worked on that aspect of his game.