LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves in dire straits after tying their worst start in franchise history. Their two wins are tied for the fewest in the entire NBA with the Houston Rockets, a team that likely isn't complaining about that result like LA is. Amidst the team's sluggish start, it's no surprise to see the trade rumors flying already – with one name being mentioned being Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal.
According to Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes, the Lakers have had their sights set on Beal for quite some time and are still known to “covet” his services should the opportunity present itself.
But the fact of the matter is this: Bradley Beal is not going to get traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Here are three (3) reasons why LA's rumored pursuit is nothing but a pipe dream.
The Lakers' trade assets aren't enough for Bradley Beal
Take a gander at Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka's cupboard of assets and there's not much you'll find. All LA has are their two first-round picks in 2027 and 2029, which by now are undoubtedly the GOAT picks if your measurement of greatness is how often they've been brought up relative to how soon they'll actually be made. With those two picks lie all the purple and gold-colored hopes and dreams of the Lakers faithful.
But NBA exec can tell you that those two picks aren't going to be enough to land an All-Star player like Bradley Beal. That's just a fact. It doesn't even matter what your general opinion is of Beal as a player.
All you need to do is check out what the trade market has been like for stars being dealt of late and the Lakers likely fall another pick or at least two pick swaps short. Not to mention they have next to no young assets to give in exchange, a prerequisite in such deals and even more so for a Wizards squad that's teeming with middling lottery picks.
Of course, uneven trades have pushed through thanks to some behind-the-scenes lobbying in the past. But even if Bradley Beal was hearing sweet nothings from LeBron James himself and suddenly wanted out, there's more reason to believe this trade isn't going down this season than the disconnect in asking price.
For the Wizards' brass, there's a lot of pride at stake
Bradley Beal is fresh off inking a massive $251 million contract in the offseason. Not only did the Wizards give Beal the supermax money that he truly wanted – and likely played a critical part in him staying in D.C. – but they caved on all the bells and whistles Beal asked for, too. The contract comes with a rare no-trade clause, giving Beal all the power to control his own destiny, plus a 15 percent trade kicker to bump the dollar figure up should he allow the team to actually trade him.
Wizards Owner Ted Leonsis and GM Tommy Sheppard have hitched the entire franchise's wagon onto Beal. If Brad suddenly wants out (a must with the no-trade clause), then he'd leave Leonsis and Sheppard looking completely foolish after bending completely to his will and paying him a quarter billion dollars.
You might say it doesn't matter, or that at least it shouldn't matter, given that they should only be operating for the team's best interest. But it would be erroneous to think that pride never plays a factor in these types of situations.
That's not to say that Bradley Beal won't get traded eventually. Perhaps in a year or two the situation doesn't get better in Washington and both sides decide to call it quits. However, that's not happening midseason of the very first year of the massive five-year deal they agreed to give Beal. That, unfortunately, eliminates him from being an option for the Lakers, who have two picks burning a hole in their pocket this season.
It's Bradley Beal's call – and he won't say yes
The entire thing is contingent on what Bradley Beal wants. Armed with his no-trade clause (why did the Wizards give him that again?), Beal won't be getting traded to any destination period unless he signs off on it. And all signs point to him wanting to tough it out in Washington.
Based on every interview he's ever given, Beal wants to win and D.C. as its number one guy. Not everyone is Paul George openly admitting he's a number two. You know who's virtually the last player you'd want to be teammates with if you want to be the number one guy? LeBron James.
The Lakers found James a perfect match in Anthony Davis, who grew frustrated with trying to forge his own path in New Orleans. But Beal has shown little signs of fatigue from his own experiences. If Beal were to want out, he'd likely want somewhere with a shared spotlight rather than becoming LeBron James' latest superstar squeeze.
For these reasons, the Bradley Beal-to-Lakers trade discussions are nothing but a waste of time.
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