Next season will likely be another competitive one, especially in the Western Conference. There will be plenty of teams looking to win immediately, and two of those teams are the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns.
The Phoenix Suns notably made a big move this summer, trading for shooting guard Bradley Beal. Many believe that they have the talent to get out of the Western Conference, but it seems as though some are higher on the Los Angeles Lakers. In fact, Nick Wright claimed that the Lakers have a better big 3 with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Austin Reaves than the Suns do with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal.
There’s no doubt that this is a hot take. From a talent standpoint, if we consider the LeBron James – Anthony Davis duo on the same level as the Kevin Durant – Devin Booker duo, then the comparison boils down to whether Austin Reaves is better than Bradley Beal. Clearly, Beal is a better player. However, how good a big 3 is also dependent on chemistry, which the Lakers clearly have more of as of this moment.
The Los Angeles Lakers Could Still Make Some Trades
The Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of decisions to make regarding their roster, including trades. In fact, a previous report suggested they could target Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs.
“One of many storylines I’ll be following tonight: If Orlando goes guard at 6, do they then move former Minnehaha Academy standout, Jalen Suggs? Buzz is that the Lakers are one team with interest. Just turned 22, best ball ahead of him, already great defender.”
There is no doubt that Jalen Suggs would help the Los Angeles Lakers with their perimeter defense and playmaking off the bench. However, their first priority should be to retain players such as D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, and Dennis Schroder, who wouldn’t need developmental time to contribute to a playoff team. Hopefully, we see the Los Angeles Lakers field a competitive team next season, and perhaps they could win the championship if they are able to make more additions to the squad.
