NBA Rumors: Executives believe LA Lakers should trade Russell Westbrook for Bradley Beal and picks
Recent NBA rumors have seen the LA Lakers linked with the Washington Wizards in trade talks. With some NBA executives believing that the Lakers should trade Russell Westbrook for Bradley Beal, NBA insider Zach Lowe elaborated on the responses he gained from the executives.
The LA Lakers continue to be an extremely active figure in trade rumors. While talks as of late were primarily surrounding backup guards Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn, the Lakers may face a change in approach.
Recent rumors indicate Russell Westbrook has emerged as a central figure in trade proposals. This is particularly interesting because the proposal links Westbrook to the Washington Wizards for Bradley Beal.
Westbrook spent the 2020-21 season with the Wizards playing alongside Beal. After a one-year stint with the team, the Lakers agreed upon a blockbuster trade with Washington to acquire the 9x All-Star.
While the trade hasn't necessarily resulted in much success for the Purple and Gold, the Lakers have been prudent with regard to dealing Westbrook in trades.
Considering that trade talks around Westbrook died down after some period of activity, the superstar has become a trade piece yet again. As per a recent report, several NBA executives agreed that a trade involving Westbrook and the Lakers' two first-round picks for Beal would be beneficial for both teams.
Needless to say, the report itself generated a lot of buzz. NBA insider Zach Lowe addressed the chatter in a recent episode of his podcast, "The Lowe Post."
When discussing the trade proposal concerning the LA Lakers and the Washington Wizards for Bradley Beal, Lowe said:
"I asked through the lens of like, ‘Is Russ and the two unprotected picks, is that fair value for Bradley Beal?' And if you asked 25 people around the league, you would get everything from… you’d get some people saying, ‘Oh my god no, Bradley Beal is a top 25 player, multiple-time all-NBA player. That’s not even close to requisite value for Bradley Beal.’
"And then you’d get another group of people who’d be like, ‘Honestly, anything the Wizards can get to get off of that contract, they should probably do it.'”
Report: Some NBA executives believe Wizards should trade Bradley Beal to Lakers for Russell Westbrook and 1st-rounders lakersdaily.com/report-some-nb…
While Lowe's report suggests that the executives support such a trade, it is essential to note some points before jumping to conclusions.
The report itself is suggestive of whether such a deal would be beneficial for the Washington Wizards. The question asked by Lowe demands an answer to Beal's value and whether the Lakers could match it with Westbrook and their limited draft capital.
In this regard, Lowe may have simply gained a response disregarding the notion of mutual benefit.
The LA Lakers don't benefit from trading for Bradley Beal
Bradley Beal signed a massive five-year extension with the side this off-season. Considering the toll it takes on Washington's cap space, the executives simply expressed that trading Beal would benefit the Wizards.
The LA Lakers will be putting themselves in salary cap hell by trading for Beal. Considering Russell Westbrook's expiring contract, the Lakers will also see a lot of money coming off the books. Onloading a more expensive contract at this point in time would be unwise.
Additionally, while the Purple and Gold have been willing to deal their two first-round picks for an All-Star level player, Beal may not be the best pick. At the current juncture, the Lakers can still look into trades with the Wizards involving Kyle Kuzma.
As trade talks with the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls continue, rumors have also suggested that the LA Lakers may be interested in trading for Kevin Durant.