The Feb. 7 trade deadline is fast approaching and for teams jockeying for playoff position, it is imperative that they make a smart, insightful deal. The Los Angeles Lakers are one of those teams in need of a trade to bolster their chances at making some noise in the playoffs.

If I’m Magic Johnson or GM Rob Pelinka, I’ll be working 24/7 to get a deal done soon.

Wanted: 3-Point Shooter

Lakers

According to a report from The Athletic’s Bill Oram, the Lakers’ trade priorities right now are the following:

“• The trade that shores up the current roster and increases the Lakers’ chances of saving face and making the playoffs.

• A blockbuster that lands the Lakers a second superstar that makes them a true threat in the Western Conference this season and beyond.”

Assuming that no blockbuster trade is available for the Lakers at the deadline, Oram listed a number of three-point shooters on expiring contracts who will allow the Lakers to keep their much-beloved cap space this summer—Miami Heat’s Wayne Ellington, Orlando Magic’s Terrence Ross, Memphis Grizzlies’ Garrett Temple and Washington Wizards’ Trevor Ariza.

The problem with looking for a three-point shooter alone is that it doesn’t address the Lakers’ need for more consistent scoring, someone who can carry the load for the team when LeBron James is off the floor. His Christmas Day injury highlighted the fact that the Lakers’ young core of Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart aren’t quite ready for primetime just yet.

Among that group, Kuzma appears to be the readiest even though he is still maddeningly inconsistent, scoring 41 points one night and then only 11 the next on a woeful 4-of-18 shooting. Time and maturity will address that but the Lakers have a ticking bomb on their hands in the form of James who is only signed on for four years. It’s virtually championship or bust every year the moment they landed the former Cavalier last summer. Ingram, Ball, and to a lesser extent, Hart are nowhere near ready to make contributions to the team in the playoffs.

More than Just a Shooter

Lakers

What the Lakers truly need is an All-Star who is also capable of knocking down the three and there’s only one player who I think might be available for the Lakers to grab in the next two weeks—Bradley Beal.

According to Kurt Helin of Yahoo Sports, the Wizards aren’t interested in making a deal (especially after winning eight of their last 12 games) unless it’s at a good price but it’s possible “that changes between now and the Feb. 7 deadline if the team struggles.”

Given that the Wizards would prefer a deal that’s going to knock them off their socks in order to part ways with their best player, the Lakers have to give it their best shot or they’ll lose the opportunity. Back in November, I wrote a piece about the Lakers perfect trade to land Beal which Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady was hopeful would happen as well. Back then, it was just wishful thinking. Today, it’s imperative that the Lakers find a way to make this trade happen.

Cavaliers East

Despite Johnson and Pelinka’s plan not to turn L.A. into “Cleveland all over again,” that’s exactly what’s happening with the Lakers right now. They’re competitive when James is playing and they’re horrendous when he isn’t. That’s almost as true even when the four-time MVP is healthy but he’s on the bench. As much as they wanted to avoid becoming James’ old team by adding playmakers rather than shooters in the offseason, that’s exactly what they’ve become. They’re Cleveland East right now as far as we’re concerned minus James having shooters around him.

That experiment seems to have failed and now Pelinka is on the lookout for a shooter. More than that, however, a player of Beal’s caliber is what he covets.

Why Beal

Bradley Beal, Wizards
CP

Beal is a six-year veteran who became an All-Star last year. After John Wall went down with a season-ending injury, the University of Florida alum had to take on more playmaking and scoring duties to make up for the loss of his backcourt partner. He has responded by putting together a string of impressive performances including a 43-point, 10-rebound and 15-assist triple-double performance against the Toronto Raptors two weeks ago.

Though James is capable of carrying a team to the playoffs on his own, the load on his body due to the lack of firepower will take its toll on his body eventually. His groin injury last December may just be the beginning. Having Beal on board will lessen the pressure that he carries on a nightly basis. He is currently averaging career highs across the board with 24.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 0.9 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. His three-point shooting this season was a bit off at the beginning but this January he’s making 37.6 percent of his shots from beyond the arc which is quite remarkable given that defenses are now more focused on guarding him now that Wall is out.

Beal is growing before our eyes both as a scorer and as a playmaker. He’s also learning to be a leader in the process, making him the perfect superstar to play alongside James. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard won’t just be a secondary scorer, he’ll also be counted on to lead the troops when number 23 is resting, whether on the bench or he’s taking the night off.

More importantly, he’s going to elevate the team’s chances of making it out of the first two rounds of this year’s playoffs. Once in the Western Conference Finals, whether it’s against the Golden State Warriors or otherwise, their odds of making it to the title round are better.

Lakers Lose Their Cap Space

LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony

The biggest pill for the Lakers to swallow to trade for Beal is his contract which runs for two more years after this season. He’s set to be paid $27 million next year and almost $29 million the following year. This means that L.A. may not be able to attract another max contract player like Kevin Durant or Kawhi Leonard.

Then again, they have $19.7 million off the books with the expiration of five other players’ contracts after this season. Plus, the upcoming cap spike should provide the Lakers with more money to spend than they think. Maybe that’s still not enough to attract either of the two stars but perhaps someone like Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler or DeMarcus Cousins could find an attractive deal from L.A. in the offseason.

The Proposal

It will take more than just one of the team’s young core to get Beal in a Lakers uniform. More than likely, the team will have to offer up Ingram, Ball and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope whose $12-million contract is paramount to get any trade proposal for Beal done. Caldwell-Pope has veto power on any trade involving him, however, so this will beone of the biggest hurdles to making this work.

If the Wizards want more, the most the Lakers can and should offer is a future second-round pick but nothing more.

Washington not only gets a player on an expiring contract (Caldwell-Pope), they also receive two potential All-Stars on rookie contracts. KCP should be useful as a 3-and-D player for the Wizards this season and with the team essentially out of the playoff picture, they get an opportunity to obtain a high lottery pick in June. Ball’s presence could signal the end of Wall’s career in Washington though his contract is quite a handful for whoever wants to trade for him. This will be Ball’s second chance at justifying being chosen as the second overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft which should be his motivation next season.

Lonzo Ball, Lakers

Ingram could blossom in a new environment, one that is without the bright lights of Hollywood where the expectations are much higher. He will still have the expectations of a high draft pick but there’s a certain anonymity that comes with playing for the Wizards that should be a welcome change for the 6-foot-9 forward out of Duke.

The Roster

If the Lakers can pull this off, here’s how their roster will look like:

C – JaVale McGee

F – Kyle Kuzma

F – LeBron James

G – Bradley Beal

G – Rajon Rondo

Reserves:

G – Josh Hart

G – Lance Stephenson

G – Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk

G – Isaac Bonga

G – Alex Caruso

F – Michael Beasley

F – Jonathan Williams

C – Tyson Chandler

C – Ivica Zubac

C – Moritz Wagner

Cavs, Knicks, Lakers, Luke Walton

The Lakers won’t be as deep but with another All-Star on its roster, they don’t have to be. Beal will open up the middle for James’ forays to the hoop and give him someone who can consistently hit the spot up jumper or open three-pointer. With a superstar like James to play with, this will give Beal more open shots than he’s ever had before. Less defenders mean more uncontested threes which should help increase his percentage from downtown.

Whether Beal turns the Lakers into championship contenders or not will be determined by how well coach Luke Walton can create scoring opportunities for their new recruit and if the team will recognize him as second-in-command outright. On paper, L.A. looks like a much better team with a roster that’s more equipped to survive the latter stages of the playoffs than before.

Pelinka should be preparing his pitch to the Wizards right now because there’s no way the Lakers should pass up on Beal if he becomes available in the coming weeks.