Every six months there is a big name that gets caught up in NBA trade rumors and the latest example of that is Bradley Beal. The Washington Wizards are reportedly working on trade scenarios with Beal and his agent and the Los Angeles Lakers are one of the few teams that theoretically could be interested.
Beal has a no-trade clause and can force his way to the team of his choosing. There also likely isn’t much of a market for Beal, as he has four more years remaining on his five-year, $251 million contract.
Trading for Beal is not the best move the Lakers could make but the team is prone to making mistakes. It would not be as bad as the Russell Westbrook trade from two years ago but it would be close. All that being said, we cannot completely rule out the Lake Show as internal pressure from LeBron James could force Pelinka to make a less-than-ideal move.
What a Lakers trade for Bradley Beal could look like:
On the surface, this looks like a great price for Bradley Beal. He is an all-star player who has been named to an All-NBA Third Team and the Lakers would be getting him for a contingent of role players and one first-round pick.
While it would be cheap, there is a reason why it is cheap. Beal is paid like a superstar but his play style and skill set do not necessarily translate to winning. He is not someone who can be the best or second-best player on a title-contending team. However, in LA he would be the third-best player, which is at least something.
Paying someone who can’t be the best or second-best player on a contender over $50 million as he heads into his 30s is a risky move. That is why very few teams are likely willing to take on his contract, which is why his trade value is as cheap as it is.
This is around the best the Wizards could get for Beal. In return, they would be getting a high-usage guard that will help them tank (Russell), a contract they can outright waive (Bamba) and an expiring. Throw in the 17th pick and a future second and this is how the Wizards can reset and look toward the future.
The Lakers would have to make some sacrifices. Los Angeles would likely have to say goodbye to Rui Hachimura and there is a chance that they would have to say goodbye to Austin Reaves as well if he signed a larger deal elsewhere.
There is a path in which the Lakers could still re-sign Reaves and Hachimura if they come back on team-friendly deals but that is a tough ask. If that did happen, the rest of the roster would have to be filled out with veteran minimum deals.
It would be an incredibly risky trade — and certainly is a polarizing one — but it is more than possible for Bradley Beal to be traded to the Lakers.