Lakers Dreaming Impossible Dream About Wizards’ Bradley Beal?

If nothing else, the Lakers seem to have their dreams. They may not relate to the playoffs, given the current state of things — but rather, that they could somehow land star shooting guard Bradley Beal from the Wizards.

As far as we know, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka has yet to ask about Beal. And as far as we know, the Wizards have no desire to trade him — at all. Nor has Beal requested a trade. But the Lakers have been linked to Beal repeatedly, and odds are, they don’t mind.

Either way, a rival Western Conference executive told Howard Beck of Sports Illustrated that Pelinka and the Lakers are seemingly holding out for Beal. And per Beck, the exec thinks it could happen — and that Beal will somehow end up in LA.

“So here was the quote from the Western Conference executive I spoke to who had mentioned this,” Beck told SI’s Chris Mannix on the Crossover podcast. “He says ‘Washington is the one that I keep thinking that’s going to happen. … [Bradley Beal] got a no-trade clause, he wants to come to California.’

“That was an interesting tidbit of this — ‘He essentially can pick where he wants to go (because of his no-trade clause.)’ … So that’s the logic that the Western Conference exec was laying out to me, and he said this: ‘Whatever you want to say about Pelinka, he’s being smart, he’s taking his time.'”

For the record, multiple sources have told Hoops Wire that the Wizards are highly likely not willing to move Beal, especially not for anyone who the Lakers may be willing to include a potential trade. Both of the Lakers’ next two trade-eligible picks along with several players on their current roster wouldn’t be enough for the Wizards to trade Beal to LA, sources speculated.

But the Lakers are can dream of Beal. There is no rule against that. And right now, it appears that is exactly what they will do.

Oh, and for the record, last time the Lakers and Wizards made a deal, the Lakers sent the likes of Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell to Washington for Russell Westbrook. It’s a trade LA would likely take back if it could.