Another scoring beast from the East has come to the West to join forces with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. The Washington Wizards are trading the face of their franchise, Bradley Beal, to the Phoenix Suns for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, and some 2nd round picks and pick swaps. While this trade surprised NBA fans for how badly the Wizards dealt their card, Skip Bayless found a way to bring his favorite target into it. In fact, the FS1 analyst believes that this trade further diminishes the hopes of a fifth ring for LeBron James.
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We know Skip Bayless to be a long-time Spurs fan. And after Kawhi Leonard won a Championship in San Antonio and established himself as one of the best players in the league, he became one of Bayless’ favorite players. The veteran analyst currently believes that even the Klaw’s Clippers have a better chance to win the West than the Lakers.
Skip Bayless believes LeBron James’ shot at a fifth ring is diminishing rapidly
One would have thought that Shannon Sharpe leaving Fox Sports would give LeBron James some respite from Skip Bayless’ jibes. However, the 71-year-old has proven time and again that he doesn’t need a second invitation to criticize LeBron James.
Bayless continues to target the 19x All-Star and his team at every possibly opportunity. And that opportunity arrived with Beal’s trade to replace CP3 in an already deadly combination of KD and D-Book. The former Chicago Tribune columnist tweeted.
“Now a 5th championship for LeBron James is looking dimmer and dimmer. Now he’s looking up at Denver, at KD/Book/Beal, even at Kawhi who will be much better after getting his knee cleaned out.”
Bayless had backed the Clippers to beat the Lakers in 2020 as well. However, LeBron James ended up leading the California side to a memorable title win inside the bubble.
This year, the Lakers certainly surprised everyone by reaching the Western Conference Finals after a terrible start to the season. But Skip Bayless has a point when he says that the Lakers winning a chip by beating teams like the Nuggets, the Suns, and the Clippers, or even the Warriors, look unlikely in the 2023-24 season.
What can the Lakers do to stay competitive in the West?
While trading LeBron James/Anthony Davis or both will always be an option, such a decision will put the Lakers on a rebuild journey instantly. If they trade either one away, it’s very unlikely that they are going to get a superstar in return who would help the other win it all.
So, the Lakers should probably look to trade for better supporting cast with James and AD as the core of the team. While players like Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura have put on some stellar showings, the LA side has lacked consistency from the ‘others’ of the team.
The Lakers can get a good deal by trading a package that includes Mo Bamba and Malik Beasley, combined with some picks or other players who are not in Darvin Ham’s plans for the next season. Getting somebody like Kyrie Irving in exchange of what they have to offer will be an unrealistic ask. But looking at what the Wizards took for Beal, we never know. The Lakers could even swoop in CP3 if the Wizards waive the “Point God”.
