NBA Trade Rumors: The only ways the Lakers can get Bradley Beal

There has been a lot of buzz around the NBA lately surrounding Bradley Beal’s situation. The Washington Wizards are one of the worst defensive teams in the league and it doesn’t seem like they have what it takes to turn things around any time soon.

Beal is once again putting up video game-like numbers but it hasn’t been enough for his teammates to catch up and actually help him win some basketball games. His frustration is obvious and it seems like his days at the nation’s capital could be numbered.

Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets, and other teams have reportedly been following the situation closely for the past couple of months. However, the team that’s always been tied to him has been the Los Angeles Lakers.

It’s clear that the Lakers are the team to beat in the NBA right now and don’t exactly need another scorer. Then again, adding Beal to that mix would make them near unbeatable. That’s why the guys from ClutchPoints and Fadeaway World put together three interesting deals that could force Beal’s way to the purple-and-gold.

The Most Realistic Trade Packages The Lakers Could Offer For Bradley Beal

3. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Talen Horton-Tucker, And Two Future 1st-Round Picks

The Washington Wizards need to rebuild and that means that they need picks. The Lakers’ picks aren’t likely to be lottery picks but they could still use them to either trade up or get more role players in the future.

Talen Horton-Tucker has shown glimpses of being a versatile scorer and Kyle Kuzma is still young and on a reasonable deal. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, on the other hand, would give them a much-needed backcourt defender.

2. Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell, Alex Caruso, And Talen Horton-Tucker

Once again, Kuzma, Caldwell-Pope, and Horton-Tucker make the cut for the reasons we mentioned earlier. This time, however, there would be no picks involved and instead, they’d get Montrezl Harrell, and Alex Caruso.

Caruso has proven to be an outstanding defender and is a much better playmaker than people credit him for. He’s got a solid basketball IQ and is a team-first kind of guy. Harrell – while not much of a defender – would give them the physical presence inside they lack with Thomas Bryant out for the year.

1. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Dennis Schroder, Quinn Cook, And Three 1st-Round Picks

And last but not least, the Los Angeles Lakers could still keep most of their role players and add Bradley Beal with this deal. Sadly, tho, they’d have to give up three future 1st-round picks, which is a steep price that Rob Pelinka wouldn’t mind paying.

Besides the players we’ve mentioned before, the Wizards would get a sharpshooter – and not much else – in Quinn Cook, while also adding Dennis Schroder to the mix. He’d be an upgrade for those nices when Russell Westbrook isn’t healthy enough to play, although they’d be better off trying to move on from him as well as they look to retool and rebuild.