The Los Angeles Lakers are off to a rough start to the season, prompting calls for more moves to be made to improve their roster.
The Russell Westbrook experiment off the bench has worked out for head coach Darvin Ham. The point guard thrived in his new role, however, it still has not resulted in consistent winning, a problem with LeBron James’ title window coming to a close.
James seemed to rake a slight shot at the Lakers’ front office with a comment he made during Thursday night football. He pointed to the Green Bay Packers’ disinterest in trading their picks for better talent, a situation that the Lakers find themselves in. His frustrations are not new as LeBron made it clear he prefers the front office to make a move now rather than wait until next summer.
However, it seems they may be monitoring a specific free agent still on the market in Mile Bridges of the Charlotte Hornets according to the Athletics’ Shams Charania:
“Miles Bridges is a restricted free agent, so he is eligible to be signed by any team, but there is a league investigation ongoing after he pleaded no contest to a felony case. I’m told there are several teams including the Lakers and the Pistons that are monitoring the situation and waiting to see exactly what transpires with his conversations with Charlotte. And otherwise, he has a qualifying offer that did expire, but he still remains a restricted free agent.”
It’s a sticky situation with Bridges since the Lakers will have to wait for a decision from the league on his domestic violence incident before thinking of signing the forward. Pending an investigation that could result in either a lengthy suspension or fine, L.A. would still have to compete with other teams for the Bridges.
The Lakers’ space is already limited too and with Bridges commanding a max contract before the domestic abuse investigation, it is unclear what the market would look like for him. The information surrounding Bridges’ situation is still not fully understood.
The Hornets’ interest in Westbrook was reportedly ‘real’ over the summer. That was before Bridges’ situation came to light with many believing a trade for Westbrook would be a salary dump. However, a trade might be the more logical way to acquire the forward.
Bridges averaged career-highs across points, rebounds and assists per game last season. At 24 years old, Bridges could be the future young star the Lakers will likely look for with LeBron nearing retirement and Anthony Davis’ injury concerns.
Western Conference executive believe Bradley Beal will be traded to L.A.
With a slow start to the season, the Lakers are still monitoring the trade market. A familiar face that’s been sprinkled in trade conversations for the Purple and Gold is Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal.
It seems much hasn’t changed even though Beal just signed a long-term extension. L.A. still covets the guard, which would only be an option if Beal requested a trade. The Lakers are reportedly still interested in Beal though with an executive believing the guard will be dealt to Los Angeles.
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