Bradley Beal became a hot topic of conversation this week when it was suggested that the Los Angeles Lakers may pursue a trade for him.
It all started during a segment on Fox Sports’ Undisputed, when Snoop Dogg, Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless discussed the prospect of him landing in LA.
“We gonna bring some pieces in,” Sharpe said. “Don’t think we set. We not set.”
“You know Bradley Beal just moved to L.A., huh?” Snoop Dogg replied.
“If we get Bradley Beal it’s over for the next three years,” Sharpe responded.
Snoop Dogg Shannon Sharpe
🤝
Beal to Lakers pic.twitter.com/XD05daULYZ— Quinton Mayo (@RealQuintonMayo) October 13, 2020
Beal’s wife, Kamiah Adams-Beal, took notice of the conversation. She then replied to it on Twitter.
Unnnnnncccccc 😂😂😂 https://t.co/msGSmxlc6k
— Kamiah Adams-Beal (@KamiahAdams) October 15, 2020
Naturally, that caught people’s attention.
This week, Beal appeared on the On the Road with Buck & Phil podcast and opened up about what it would mean to him to finish out his career with the Washington Wizards.
“That would mean the world, man,” he said.
Yikes Aaron Gordon. https://t.co/fmz8bvfSkC
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 16, 2020
“I’m a loyal guy. I want to be here. I’m here. I’ve signed my extension. And that will mean the world to me. That honestly would you know, being able to finish your career in one place? You know, you don’t see that in today’s game.”
This past October, Beal inked a two-year, $72 million extension to remain in D.C. Some suggested that he may already be regretting the decision, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. On the contrary, Beal seems optimistic about what is to come.
“So that would definitely be an honor, you know, but my ultimate goal is to win,” he continued.
“I want to win and we got to win. And I know we can win. I know it’s a place where we can win and I know it’s a place where we can get guys to come here to win. But we got to go prove it on the floor for sure.”
This past year, Beal averaged 30.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from three and 84.2 percent from the free-throw line. Many people believed that he deserved an All-NBA nod, but ultimately he did not get one. The Wizards’ losing record was seen as a big reason why.
The Kyle Kuzma Era is officially coming to an end in Los Angeles. https://t.co/jNb20UAnJr
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 15, 2020
Next year, John Wall is due to return from injury. Obviously it is impossible to say how he will look without seeing him in any actual NBA games, but in scrimmages Wall has looked tremendous.
If Wall can return to form and stay healthy, and Beal can continue to play at the level he played at last year, the Wizards can surprise a lot of people in the generally terrible Eastern Conference. There is no reason why a fifth or sixth place finish isn’t a viewed as a realistic goal.
All in all, it looks like Beal and Co. will give this experiment one more try next year. If it works out – perfect. If it doesn’t, expect the Lakers rumors to heat up once more.
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Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
