Lakers Rumors: Los Angeles was interested in Bradley Beal
By Nick Ziegler
Recent Lakers rumors are that they pursued a deal with the Washington Wizards for Bradley Beal not too long ago.
As we wait for the NBA season to resume, recent Lakers rumors have been about potential interest in Bradley Beal.
With two superstars on the roster, the Lakers have desired to acquire a third star. After trading for Anthony Davis, the Lakers then were able to clear enough cap space to sign a third star.
The player that they originally had in mind was Kawhi Leonard. After winning a title with the Toronto Raptors, Leonard was the top free agent available. It went right down to the wire, but Leonard ultimately chose the Clippers over the Lakers and Raptors.
Even though the Lakers missed out on Leonard, they were able to still fill out the roster very nicely, as they have a lot of nice role players that have helped them get the best record in the Western Conference.
Despite the Lakers being good this season, they did still have an interest in acquiring that third star. According to Shams Charania, the Lakers were one of the many teams interested in Beal. Here’s what Shams had to say on the Load Management Podcast with text via Silver Screen and Roll.
"All 29 teams across the league, if you’re trying to win games — The Lakers, at different points, they’ve had an interest in Beal — if you’re trying to win basketball games, you’re going to have interest in Bradley Beal."
For the Lakers, they do certainly have enough left to potentially get a deal done for a player like Beal, as Kyle Kuzma is still a valuable trade piece. Matching up salary would take some work for the Lakers, but at just 26-years-old, Beal is the type of player that can be a sidekick of Davis for years to come.
It will be interesting to see if Beal wants to continue to play for the Wizards long-term, as if he demanded a trade or the team wanted to move in a different direction, he would be highly sought-after.
Next. What the Lakers would look like if they drafted perfectly during rebuild. dark
This could be a very interesting offseason for the NBA with the shortened season and how it might affect some franchises. For the Lakers, they might use it as an opportunity to try and acquire a third star like Beal.