{"id":116488,"date":"2025-01-06T22:37:10","date_gmt":"2025-01-07T03:37:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=116488"},"modified":"2025-01-06T22:37:10","modified_gmt":"2025-01-07T03:37:10","slug":"los-angeles-lakers-steer-clear-bradley-beal-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/06\/los-angeles-lakers-steer-clear-bradley-beal-trade\/","title":{"rendered":"Lakers Should Steer Clear Of Bradley Beal Trade"},"content":{"rendered":"

Upon hearing that the Los Angeles Lakers are presumably among the teams<\/a> that Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal<\/a> would waive his no-trade clause for, there were undoubtedly thousands of hoops fans whose imaginations went into overdrive.<\/p>\n

Now, Beal was just<\/em>\u00a0benched by a Suns team looking for a spark<\/a>. However, he\u2019s a multi-time All-Star who has sacrificed in order to play whatever role Phoenix asks of him. Last season, that was playing point guard, as the Suns all but refused to acquire one.<\/p>\n

This season, he\u2019s moved back to shooting guard thanks to the signings of Tyus Jones<\/a> and Monte Morris<\/a>. Nonetheless, he still shares the court with Kevin Durant<\/a> and Devin Booker<\/a>, who are above him on the totem pole. Consequently, he\u2019s still not in his comfort zone.<\/p>\n

Lakers Should Steer Clear Of Bradley Beal Trade<\/h2>\n

The problem with the Lakers trading for the Beal is two-sided.<\/p>\n

On the one hand, they would likely have to move Austin Reaves<\/a> and<\/em> Rui Hachimura<\/a> for Beal, who makes $50.2 million this season. In a vacuum, he\u2019s a better defender than Reaves and more advanced scorer than Hachimura. Yet, their combined abilities exceeds what the 31-year-old brings to the table, especially when they\u2019re at their best.<\/p>\n

Reaves had long since demonstrated that he\u2019s capable of taking over in the postseason, scoring 20 or more points in nine of his 21 playoff games. Over his last six contests, he\u2019s averaging 23.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.<\/p>\n

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Austin Reaves, since Christmas & after the D\u2019Angelo Russell trade, has been on a TEAR for the Los Angeles Lakers! \ud83d\udd25\ud83c\udf7f<\/p>\n

In 5 games: 24.4 PPG, 10.6 APG, 8.0 RPG, 44 FG%, 38 3P%; LAL: 4-1 record<\/p>\n

The 26 year old has been putting up some of the best numbers of his career as a\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/kCZfyEW2IY<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) January 5, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n