The Los Angeles Lakers have made a couple of solid moves in NBA free agency so far. Both Deandre Ayton and Jake LaRavia have joined the team and both will have a chance to become key pieces of the rotation.
While the two moves are quality additions, the Lakers could still use more.
Rob Pelinka has a tall task ahead of him. Building the team into a contender for the 2025-26 season may not be the main goal. The main goal might just be to build the best team around Luka Doncic for the next two or three years.
Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
LeBron James is still in town, but there have been a lot of rumors about the two parties splitting ways. At the very least, he is in the final year of his contract and is likely to either leave or retire after the upcoming season.
Read more: Lakers’ Bronny James Sends Strong Message About His NBA Future
That being said, Los Angeles has now been connected to making another major move during the NBA free agency period.
According to Evan Sidery of Forbes, the Lakers are one of the five teams expected to show interest in Bradley Beal once his buyout with the Phoenix Suns goes through. The buyout is widely expected to happen in the near future.
Outside of Los Angeles, Sidery lists the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, and Denver Nuggets as possible landing spots for Beal.
Beal would be a very intriguing target for the Lakers. He would bring more scoring to the table. While he may not be the player he once was, he’s still capable of making an impact.
Read more: Lakers’ LeBron James Trade Rumors Receive Huge Update
During the 2024-25 NBA season with the Suns, Beal played in 53 games and made 38 starts. He averaged 17 points per game to go along with 3.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.1 steals, while shooting 49.7 percent from the floor and knocking down 38.6 percent of his three-point attempts.
At 32 years old, Beal could be a multi-year addition for Los Angeles. He might just be a supporting piece alongside Doncic that lasts beyond James’ tenure with the team.
Expect the Lakers to remain active in the coming days. Pelinka has made a couple of strong additions, but more work remains. Beal would be a very intriguing target and the kind of player that Los Angeles could make a strong push to sign.
For more on the Los Angeles Lakers and general NBA news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.