Bradley Beal Wants Trade From Wizards To Lakers?
Does Bradley Beal want a trade from the Wizards to the Lakers?
Following Washington’s 115-106 defeat at the hands of the Chicago Bulls this past Wednesday, Beal reportedly snapped.
According to David Aldridge of The Athletic, the All-Star is currently the most irritated he ever has been with the franchise.
Despite having been with the Wizards for eight years now, Beal is apparently “as angry with and emotional about his team as he’s ever been.”
It appears the perpetual losing has finally gotten to the 26-year-old in large part because earlier this year he believed Washington had turned a corner.
Following three victories in four outings over the likes of the Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics, it looked like the Wizards had finally figured it out. The problem was, they figured it out without Beal. At the time, he was sidelined with a leg injury.
Upon his return, the Wizards promptly lost its next two games.
Bradley Beal was particularly down after tonight’s loss in Chicago.
On why this loss was hitting him harder than usual: “They all do. I don’t like losing. I’m sorry. Especially winnable games.”
On if it builds up: “Yeah, I would hope it does. I don’t like losing.” pic.twitter.com/SYSY1CkQaf
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) January 16, 2020
While some believe that Beal’s emotional response was a call to action to the front office for more talent on the roster, others believe it is simply the opening salvo in an eventual trade demand.
The Wizards are currently 13-28 through 41 games and have very little to play for at this stage.
John Wall is unlikely to return from his Achilles injury until way later in the year, and at that point it will likely have a minimal impact on the playoff race.
Beal’s discontent has resurfaced old rumors of the Lakers possibly making a trade for him.
Los Angeles is currently 33-8 through 41 games and sits atop the Western Conference.
That said, there are some fundamental flaws with the roster that badly need addressing before the playoffs, and Beal could go a long way in helping with that.
The Lakers desperately need a playmaker and scorer outside of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and they require someone who is comfortable shooting the three-ball.
Beal checks all those boxes.
Although he is currently shooting a career worst 30 percent from the three-point line, he has historically been a very good shooter. For his career, he shoots nearly 38 percent from behind the arc.
Any deal for Beal would likely have to include some combination of Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Rajon Rondo and rookie Talen Horton-Tucker.
Horton-Tucker is a particularly interesting young prospect, boasting a 7-foot-1 wingspan and averaging over 15 points per outing in the G League.
Is a deal between the Lakers and Wizards for Beal definitely going to get done? Obviously it s hard to say for certain. There are a lot of moving parts.
But Beal’s growing dissatisfaction with his situation in Washington makes it far more likely today than it was one month ago.
The NBA trade deadline is on February 6.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
