Still within reach of directly qualifying places for the playoffs, the Lakers still hope to accelerate their return to grace through a big trade. A rival franchise would also have every interest in doing business with them according to some!
Not a day goes by in Los Angeles without growing impatience. Despite recent honorable results, the Lakers know they are surrounded by high expectations regarding a possible future trade. However, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, fans shouldn’t get too impatient with franchise executives. The latter would indeed have little chance of closing a deal quickly:
When are the Lakers going to make a trade? Not before 2-4 weeks minimum (between late December and mid-January) according to multiple league sources familiar with their plans. NBA history shows that trades don’t happen until January at the earliest. Most occur in the last week before the deadline. There are exceptions, of course, and the Lakers hope to be among them.
A star from the East totally accessible for the Lakers?
Aware of the complexity of the market at this time of the season, the Lakers are therefore looking for affordable avenues to strengthen their workforce. This does not prevent them from dreaming, and from having surrounded three huge names in the event of a miracle. Among them is that of Bradley Beal, whom the Angelinos could very well obtain with a fairly simple offer, as Zach Lowe indicated in his podcast The Lowe Post :
I framed my question this way: “Russ and two unprotected picks, would that be a reasonable offer for Bradley Beal?” And what I take from that is that if you ask 25 people in the league, you’ll hear it all. Some will say, “Oh my God, definitely not. Bradley Beal is one of the top 25 players in the league, multiple All-NBA player, it’s not his value at all. »
And then you’d have another group of people saying, “Honestly, the Wizards should take it, like any offer that would let them get out of this contract. »
A contradictory vision which testifies well to the subjective rating of Beal on the circuit, and which could therefore do the business of the Lakers.
However, setting up such a trade could also represent a trap for Purple & Gold. Indeed, while Westbrook’s contract will expire no matter what at the end of the season, Beal’s contract runs until 2027. His arrival would therefore considerably reduce the franchise’s room for maneuver over the months and years to come. Is it worth it for a player whose physique is increasingly worrying? Not sure.
Star with a divisive contract situation, Bradley Beal would be fully within reach of the Lakers according to some league executives. It remains to be seen whether the Wizards would be as open, and whether the back would be ready to join California!
