Report: Should The Washington Wizards Consider Trading Bradley Beal? If So, Which NBA Organizations Would Benefit The Most?

In the last few months, Bradley Beal has been one of the most talked-about players in the NBA. With Beal representing an unbalanced Washington Wizards team, analysts and many NBA fans across the globe believe that the Wizards are setting themselves up for failure. The reason, Washington currently has two max contracts being Bradley Beal and John Wall while also being one of the lower marketed teams in the NBA. This entails that the Wizards will have little to no luck in signing a top free agent due to their contract situation and location. Nine times out of ten, a player would much rather represent a team with a top tier location and a big market. With loyalty being scarce around the league, only a handful of NBA players have been loyal to their organization for more than five seasons. Even though Beal has stated that he loves playing for Washington, his chances of winning an NBA title will be nearly impossible unless he requests a trade! With teams such as the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers being interested in trading for Beal, the question that needs to be asked is, what teams have the best trade offer? 

In the last five years, Washington has experienced some of the greatest highs and lows in their franchise history. From the 2016 Eastern Conference Semifinals, where they almost defeated the first seeded Boston Celtics to, witnessing their all-star point guard suffer numerous injuries, the Washington Wizards have easily become one of the most unpredictable teams until last season. In the 2018-19 season, the Wizards on paper looked incredible as they signed names such as Dwight Howard, Austin Rivers, and Jeff Green. Unfortunately, the Wizards were dealing with some chemistry issues and were left with no choice but to trade half of their rotation. They would go from being projected as a playoff team to one of the worst teams in the NBA! 

The Wizards need to make some serious changes if they want to have a better future. Trading John Wall and Bradley Beal is no longer a choice and instead needs to happen as the Wizards lack any funds to go after an impactful rotational piece. With that being said, here are the five teams with the best trade offers for Bradley Beal! 

5. Oklahoma City Thunder

Best Trade Offer- Dennis Shroder, Steven Adams and 2-4 first-round picks in exchange for Bradley Beal and Ish Smith

The Oklahoma City Thunder barely makes the cut, but the reason this trade is top five worthy is due to the draft picks and not the players. During the 2019 NBA off-season, the Thunder traded away both Paul George and Russell Westbrook in exchange for Shai Gilgeous Alexander, Chris Paul, Danillo Gallinari, and an absurd amount of draft picks. With these draft picks, the Thunder have arguably the strongest foundation to trade for anyone they want due to the number of draft picks they currently have. Why is this relevant to this trade? The Washington Wizards in this scenario would look to rebuild rather than contend. Steven Adams and Dennis Schroder will look to complete the final year of their contracts, making them both unrestricted free agents. This entails that the Wizards not only receive 2-4 first-round draft picks, but they also free up close to 40 million dollars in the salary cap, which is an ideal situation for them to start a rebuild!

The Oklahoma City Thunder benefits from this trade as they now receive an All-Star calibre player to play alongside Chris Paul, who will be nearing the end of his contract by 2022 and Shai Gilgeous Alexander, who is getting better each season. Even though the salary situation may not be ideal, the Thunder will be in a position to possess three potential All-Star Caliber players for the next 2-4 seasons! 

4. Miami Heat

Best Trade Offer- Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn, one first-round pick and Andre Iguodala in exchange for Bradley Beal

This season, the Miami Heat shocked the NBA and became one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. With the Heat only being five games from the second seed, Pat Riley has managed to construct a team that can shoot the three-point shot, while also being able to defend Giannis Antetokounmpo! With the foundation that this team already has, a trade for Bradley Beal may not even need to happen considering how quickly their young players have grown. However, if the Heat fails to sign Giannis or Victor Oladipo next off-season, their next best chance of getting an All-Star calibre player is to trade for Bradley Beal if he is still on the market. The Heat needs to make a decision and have to start looking at what they can control and what they can’t. An offer of Tyler Hero who has become one of the best rookies this season, Kendrick Nunn who is also one of the best rookies this season, a first-round pick and Andre Igoudala who is needed in this trade due to team salary should be enough for the Wizards to consider this offer. 

Tyler Hero has become a versatile shooting guard with a bright future in the NBA for many years to come, while Kendrick Nunn can become a 20-plus point per game scorer if given a chance. The Miami Heat are in contention mode more than developing, considering that they signed Jimmy Butler in the 2019 NBA off-season. Bradley Beal on the Miami Heat would easily grant this organization a viable chance to win a championship as they would possess three All-Stars while still having a decent bench. Trading away fan favourites Tyler Hero and Kendrick Nunn does bite; however, having a chance to win a championship is far greater. 

The Washington Wizards benefit from this trade as well, as they get two incredibly young talented players while also freeing up cap space and having the opportunity to trade John Wall, considering that they have their future point guard. If the Wizards are successful in trading John Wall, they would have an absurd amount of cap space, which would be ideal for them when entering their rebuilding phase. 

3. New Orleans Pelicans

Best Trade Offer- Josh Hart, Jrue Holiday, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and two first-round picks in exchange for Bradley Beal.

With the Pelicans already having two future superstars in Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, their rebuilding process could end very quickly if they trade for Bradley Beal. The proposed offer would be, Josh Hart, Jrue Holiday, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and two future first-round picks. So far in his career, Josh Hart has proven himself to be a decent rotating piece that still has a lot more to show. This season with the Pelicans, Hart showed flashes of starter material; hence, if he got traded to the Wizards, it would be ideal for him. 

Jrue Holiday has been with the Pelicans for more than five seasons and made a name for himself with this organization. With Jrue being the best defender at his position, the Wizards can become a top defensive team in the Eastern Conference. However, the main reason why Jrue is included in this trade is due to contract situations as the Pelicans cannot afford to have Holiday and Beal. 

Nickeil Alexander-Walker is the last player in this deal and still needs to improve some aspects of his game. This young Canadian prospect was one of the more surprising players to come out of the 2019 NBA draft as he showed flashes of starting potential. Like Josh Hart, the Wizards would be an ideal situation for Alexander to grow as a player considering that there’s nobody else to take that role at his position other than John Wall. If the Wizards fail to trade Wall, the chances are that Washington will probably play Wall 25-28 minutes a game due to his history of getting injured. Alexander would be given the opportunity to prosper and eventually look to becoming the starting point guard of the Washington Wizards!

2. Brooklyn Nets

Best Trade Offer- Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris Levert, and Jarrett Allen in exchange for Bradley Beal

Out of all the teams mentioned in this article, the Brooklyn Nets have been reported to be the favourites of receiving Beal if he is deemed to be tradeable. With the Nets already having Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, a three-headed monster would form in Brooklyn, which would only grant more sadness to New York Knicks fans. However, the reason why this trade is perfect for the Nets is that Beal is potentially the central focus on the Nets organization. Because Kyrie and Durant suffered severe injuries, they would still be superstars in the NBA but would have a health risk factor. If the main options are just Durant and Kyrie, the probability of getting re-injured is exceptionally high. Adding Bradley Beal would provide even more scoring and less stress on Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. With Beal being only 26-years old, he would also be the future of the Nets.

Brooklyn trading for Beal is far deeper than just adding a third All-Star. Instead, the Nets are focusing on the future as they will potentially have an All-Star calibre player for the rest of the decade. Furthermore, Brooklyn would also become a dynasty and should win more than one championship unless the Los Angeles Clippers add another sensational player to add to their already impressive bench unit. 

The Washington Wizards in this scenario would look to be a playoff team more than anything else. With the Nets not even including a draft pick in this scenario, the Wizards instead would possess three borderline all-star players to pair alongside John Wall. What makes this trade even better is, Wall would be given a cushion as he would only need to play 25 minutes a game considering that Spencer Dinwiddie will be the backup point guard. In this world, both teams benefit!

1. Denver Nuggets

Best Trade Offer- Gary Harris, Will Barton, Michael Porter Jr and a first-round pick in exchange for Bradley Beal and Ish Smith

Even though the Brooklyn Nets may have a more completed package of players, the Denver Nuggets get the number one spot due to Michael Porter Jr being in this trade. The Nuggets are already a top tier team in the NBA but are not regarded as viable contenders due to the lack of All-Stars surrounding Nikola Jokic. With Denver already giving up most of their cap space in Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic, their only option is to trade both Gary Harris and Will Barton due to contract negotiations. However, trading for Beal is meriting as the Nuggets will still possess a very young team in the league while also locking up their best players for numerous years. Despite losing out on a potential All-Star in Michael Porter Jr, the Nuggets are currently looking to compete rather than developing young talent. If the Nuggets can trade Porter Jr for an All-Star that could help them win now, that would be more of an ideal situation to be in rather than waiting on hypotheticals. The Wizards, however, can risk this as they are in no rush to win or even contend in the Eastern Conference.

Before Michael Porter Jr suffered a series of multiple injuries, he was a top tier player while being projected as a top-three pick in his draft class. However, this was not the case and instead was drafted 15th overall by the Denver Nuggets as a project player. Porter Jr has the skill and potential to become a top tier player; however, with his injuries and his situation with the Nuggets, he might be hindered from reaching his potential. If the Washington Wizards commit to making this trade, they will receive two veteran role players, a draft pick that could be useful, and a top tier rookie player who can become the franchise player for the Washington Wizards. If all things go well, this could happen; however, this is a big risk to make!