Bradley Beal improved a lot in light of John Wall‘s injuries, which kept him out for nearly two whole seasons with the Washington Wizards. Last season, Beal averaged 30.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.1 assists while shooting 45.5% from the field on nearly 23 field goal attempts per night. Since then, the Bradley Beal trade rumors have emerged in the NBA world.
This season, general manager Tommy Sheppard traded John Wall and a 2021 first-round draft pick to the Houston Rockets for Russell Westbrook. Even with Westbrook, the Wizards still sit at 3-8 on the season, with one of the worst defenses in the NBA.
This has led the NBA community to believe that Bradley Beal could be on the move.
But, general manager Tommy Sheppard says otherwise. In an interview on the ‘Grant and Danny Show’ on 106.7 before the start of the season, Sheppard said, “Brad absolutely has been committed to us. Last summer, he signed an extension with us. I think we’re absolutely committed to him. The biggest thing we ask for each other is ‘hey, let’s go win,'” Sheppard said.
While Beal has not formally requested a trade, something could be in the works for him. Many teams have expressed some interest in acquiring Beal, even if it’s by the 2021 trade deadline (March 25th). Check out which teams could make a deal for the star, who is averaging 34.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, and five assists per game on nearly 50% shooting.
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a team that could certainly be in the running to add another star to their regime. Reports had suggested that the Heat were interested in making a deal for James Harden before he was traded to the Nets on Wednesday, January 13th.
What can they offer: The Heat can offer a plethora of bench talent to the Wizards like Duncan Robinson, Kenrick Nunn, or even their young star, Tyler Herro, if they are willing to. The issue for Miami is that they don’t have a lot of draft capital to work with. While they can trade their picks, many of them are pick swaps.
Outlook: This trade would bode well for Miami because it could give them enough star power to make it through the Eastern Conference again, and have a chance at taking down the Los Angeles Lakers or another West team. For the Wizards, they may not see as much draft capital as they would like, but if they could squeeze Tyler Herro or Precious Achiuwa out of Pat Riley, it could be worth it.
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets have a lot of motivation to complete a trade to boost them through the Western Conference playoffs. If they want to contend for a title as soon as possible, behind Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic, they could trade a lot of their young assets and draft capital.
What they can offer: The Nuggets could give away large contracts like Gary Harris or Will Barton to even out the cap. To intrigue the offer more, the Nuggets could give away promising young talent like Michael Porter Jr. The Nuggets own the next two years of their draft picks too, which could spice up the deal even more.
Outlook: Bradley Beal could help take the pressure off of the backcourt of Jamal Murray as a vital part of their offensive scheme. Beal can run pick and roll and add to the spacing of the Nuggets’ starting five. The Nuggets rely heavily on their young guys to provide, but Beal would be an immediate help, especially in the playoffs. For the Wizards, the Nuggets have plenty of young talent to build around, plus future draft capital that could help the deal.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers were rumored to have offered Ben Simmons and Tyrese Maxey to the Houston Rockets for James Harden. Whether or not the details are correct, it looks like Daryl Morey and Elton Brand might be trying to take their team deep into the playoffs soon. Like the Denver Nuggets, the Philadelphia 76ers have a lot of talent to play with for a deal.
What they can offer: The 76ers have players like Tyrese Maxey, Shake Milton, and Matisse Thybulle that they can offer to help rebuild the Wizards. Whether or not they are willing to give up Ben Simmons is unknown, but they were willing to offer him up for James Harden. If the Wizards were wanting a full rebuild from a Beal trade, trading for Ben Simmons may not be the best route. But, the 76ers have their own first-round picks in the next four drafts to play with too.
Outlook: The 76ers could use a player like Beal that can create shots for himself and be another scoring machine. It would be helpful to the 76ers to gain another player that can shoot threes. Considering the 76ers are below average in attempted and made three-pointers this season, the addition of Beal can help that aspect of their offense as well. Another star would also push their odds of making a deep playoff run this season.
Analysis
Many teams could contend for Bradley Beal before the trade deadline. There are possibilities for other juggernaut teams like the Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, or even the Dallas Mavericks to compete for Beal. Teams like the Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Pelicans, and Sacramento Kings could be in the mix to offer trades for him too.
The biggest concern stems from the unknown direction that Tommy Sheppard wants to take the Wizards teams. While it is early on in the year, the Wizards will most likely not have the roster talent to make it into the playoffs. From this, Sheppard knows teams are interested in Beal and he could maximize the deal, considering Beal’s trade value is high.
