After the Lakers missed the playoffs, there were many rumors in the league that LeBron James may not reach a contract extension with the Lakers this offseason.
If the Lakers believe in James' willingness to leave the team, then putting James on the Rockets is undoubtedly a choice in the best interests of the team. So what chips may the Lakers want to put James on the shelves for the team? US media Jason Reed suggested the following trading options for upgrading:
Lakers get: Bradley Beal, 2024 first-round picks, 2026 first-round picks (first 3 picks protected)
Wizards get: LeBron James
It's a very heavy deal for both sides, but the first question to be answered in this deal is why the Wizards are pushing for a deal involving James, who is already a 37-year-old veteran player and the Wizards are not a team that has the ability to compete for the championship and can still rely on James to make a championship.
What's more, the Wizards also need to send Beal and the next two first-round picks in this deal, compared to the Wizards sending Beal to other teams and exchanging them for future assets, in which case going to the rebuilding phase is definitely a better choice for the Wizards.
In contrast, this is a very ideal situation for the Lakers, after all, after getting rid of James' contract, you can still get a scorer like Beal and two future first-round draft picks, so that the Lakers can fully put Bill on the shelves and completely enter the reconstruction stage.
That said, such a deal is unlikely to become a reality, and at least from a Wizards point of view, there is no benefit in pushing the deal forward.