This offseason has been a slow-moving one for the Los Angeles Lakers as Rob Pelinka still has a lot of work to do to get the team back into championship contention.
The team has made some solid additions in free agency, bringing in Deandre Ayton and Jake LaRavia while re-signing Jaxson Hayes. None of those signings really move the needle though, so if Pelinka wants Luka Doncic to sign an extension in August and for LeBron James not to ask out, further upgrades are necessary.
One option that appears to soon be available is Bradley Beal. The Phoenix Suns have wanted to trade Beal for a while but his no-trade clause and supermax contract have not allowed them to do so, resulting in him likely being bought out. If that happens then Beal will be a free agent and can sign with any team, with the Lakers being among those expressing interest, per NBA insider Jake Fischer:
Some confirmed suitors for Beal include the LA Clippers — fresh off agreeing to trade Norman Powell to Miami in a three-team deal that will bring back Utah’s John Collins — as well as the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee and Minnesota.
While Beal isn’t the player he once was, he is coming off a season in which he averaged 17.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 38.6% from deep in 53 games for the Suns. While that is not max-level production, the 32-year-old is still someone that can contribute in the right situation, especially if it is on a minimum-type contract.
Adding Beal to the mix would not help improve the Lakers’ defense, which is their biggest need right now. In a vacuum though the signing would be great value, and perhaps opens up the possibility for other trades to improve L.A.’s defense.
Lakers have belief in Maxi Kleber as stretch-five
The Lakers needed to address the center position this offseason and did so by signing both Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes. That gives Luka Doncic two lob threats to work with, which has typically led to success.
If the Lakers are going to add a third center then they likely would want someone that can stretch the floor to bring a different dynamic to the mix. They already have a player on the roster that can do that in Maxi Kleber and recent reports indicate the team is not in a rush to add another center before of their belief in him.
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