Each time a player is made available for trade, expect critics to bring up the Los Angeles Lakers. Although the purple and gold have LeBron James, it remains that they still need better personnel if they are to revert back to their winning ways.
Thus far, the Lakers are not exactly one of the favorites for the 2018-19 NBA season. They could make the playoffs although pundits feel that they will have a tough time reaching the tougher stages. A solution that many believe is a change in manpower – something that may involve the sacrifice of their young stars.
Bradley Beal is the latest player being linked to the Lakers, some believe can hit it well with LeBron James. According to the Jump on ESPN, Los Angeles should go after the 25-year-old guard and put his outside shooting to good use. He is likened to Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors, someone who could hit it from the outside and provide the needed help to James.
As of this writing, there is no certainty on where Beal may end up. The only thing known is that the Washington Wizards are making all their players available for trade as the team continues to seemingly fall apart. John Wall is another player linked to the Lakers although salary cap restrictions point to Beal as the better option. Beal holds a four-year $169-million contract extension that is expected to kick in by next season, the Big Lead said.
Assuming the Lakers are truly interested in Beal, some players must go. Again, the names of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma are expected to pop up, the players that LA had initially hoped to be the future face of the franchise.
But the main thing here is that these young turks are not exactly delivering. The Lakers need shooters, a reason why the likes of Klay Thompson had been mentioned earlier this year. By next summer, Los Angeles is expected to skim the market for players to compliment James. That is the likely scenario unless the four young guys (Ball, Ingram, and Kuzma) can suddenly prove that they are offensive options outside James.
Also in play are the players the Lakers are expected to go for. That list includes Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis, both who could eventually don the purple and gold. Similar to the case of Thompson, all that can only go down by next year once the 2018-19 NBA season concludes.
Should the Lakers take Beal, adding one or two more superstars could be the winning recipe that Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka have been trying to cook up. Will everything fall into place in Hollywood?
