Former Laker Proposes LA Trade for All-Star Who 'Won't Defer' to Current Superstars

Should Los Angeles make this bold roster move?

Jan 29, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) is fouled by Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) during the fourth quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Former Los Angeles Lakers reserve combo guard Lou Williams, a three-time Sixth Man of the Year with other franchises, submitted an intriguing trade fit for his old squad.

At 20-16, the 2024-25 Lakers are presently the Western Conference's No. 6 seed.

L.A. has lost its past two games, including an embarrassing 118-97 blowout to the Dallas Mavericks sans their two best players, All-Star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The Lakers had been slated for something of a schedule break on Thursday, with a tilt against the Charlotte Hornets, but that has now been postponed due to some increasingly unstable wildfires around town.

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Tragically, first-year Lakers head coach JJ Redick lost his family home in the Pacific Palisades due to the biggest fire so far, which is currently blanketed across 17,234 acres of land in the region amid 0 percent containment. Our thoughts are with the Redick family at this time.

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On the hardwood, the Lakers just don't look like they're world-beaters, especially against the younger, more athletic perimeter players of the Western Conference.

On his FanDuel TV show "Run it Back," Williams proposed a deal for Los Angeles to acquire former three-time All-Star shooting guard Bradley Beal, currently a bench player for the 16-19 Phoenix Suns.

Bradley Beal will (most likely) be traded...@TeamLou23 says he’s the dynamic scorer the Lakers need because he won’t defer to LeBron or AD 👀

Meanwhile, @chandlerparsons thinks pairing Beal with Jokic and Jamal Murray would keep the Nuggets’ championship window wide open🏆 pic.twitter.com/N56yGaUmvz

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) January 8, 2025

“He’s been the type A guy to be on a team where you can put the ball in his hands and he can go lead you to a bunch of wins," Williams observed. “I don’t think he would be the guy to defer to an AD or LeBron when it’s needed, and for that, I like the Lakers fit.”

Should Los Angeles make this bold roster move?

Absolutely not.

There's a reason Beal isn't even starting for a sub-.500 squad in the talented West. He's no longer in his Washington Wizards-era athletic prime, for one, but he's also just not as consistent a scorer as he once was. The 6-foot-4 Florida product, 31, is averaging 17.8 points on .485/.391/.769 shooting splits while being a total sieve on defense. He's also chipping in 3.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks per bout.

Los Angeles effectively already has a better Bradley Beal already rostered (well, better than the current iteration, not the prime Wizards version): starting point guard Austin Reaves.

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