After starting the 2020-21 season with a disappointing 0-4 record, Washington Wizards All-Star Bradley Beal was seemingly fed up on Tuesday night, declining the opportunity to speak to the media after a loss to the previously winless Chicago Bulls.
The Wizards join the Houston Rockets (0-2), Toronto Raptors (0-3) and Detroit Pistons (0-4) as the only squads without victories this season.
This putrid start marks the worst start for Washington since the 2012-13 season, when they started out 0-12 and finished the 82-game season with only 29 wins.
Based on the body language we've seen from Beal and other Wizards like All-Star teammate Russell Westbrook, this season is already looking like a train wreck:
Russell Westbrook took this loss hard. That’s assistant coach Robert Pack talking to him. pic.twitter.com/hAN9Ld67Y6
— Chase Hughes (@ChaseHughesNBCS) December 30, 2020
After being on successful teams for the entirety of his NBA career, Westbrook is clearly fed up with the slow start in Washington:
“It's a tough time, but you gotta figure it out, especially for myself,” Westbrook said, via Fred Katz of The Athletic. “I really, really hate losing so it's tough for me to kinda reset. But as being a leader, you can't lead just when things are going well. You have to lead when things aren't going your way.
While Bradley Beal going through concussion protocol may have contributed to the declining of his media session, he did return to the game and essentially finished it, so it's clear he's just as frustrated as Westbrook. Given Beal's situation, one has to wonder what he's thinking about his future.
Being a star player stuck on a mediocre team makes you an instant candidate for trade fodder, and Beal has been the subject of trade rumors for years now. Earlier this year, he was thrown into plenty of theoretical trades to join superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on the Brooklyn Nets. Giannis Antetokounmpo requested the Milwaukee Bucks' front office to pursue a trade for Beal, but the Eastern Conference powerhouse gave up a lot of their future assets to bring in Jrue Holiday earlier this offseason.
If things don't turn around soon, Beal may look to move on from the franchise that drafted him in 2012. The Wizards have been adamant about their lack of interest in trading Beal, but that could change if their superstar shooting guard asks out.
An ideal trade destination for Bradley Beal could be the Denver Nuggets, as a swap where Washington brings in Gary Harris, Zeke Nnaji, PJ Dozier, Vlatko Cancar, and draft picks works according to the ESPN NBA Trade Machine. The Wizards could also ask for Michael Porter Jr., but the Nuggets have high hopes for Porter and may not be willing to part with him.
As great as Beal has been, the Wizards' ceiling with him as their best player is a first-round playoff exit. This trade would allow them to rebuild around young players with potential in Rui Hachimura and Deni Avdija, plus their own future draft picks and the picks from this deal.
On the other side of the trade, Beal would give the Nuggets a proven third scorer and someone who isn't afraid of the big moment if Nikola Jokic is cold and Jamal Murray doesn't improve his consistency. Denver is currently hoping Porter can be that third guy, but he still has to prove he can stay healthy and do that at a high level. From an offensive perspective, a core of Beal, Jokic and Murray would arguably be the most talented trio in the NBA, giving Denver a legitimate chance to contend with the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers to come out of the Western Conference.
Getting rid of Bradley Beal would be a tough pill for Wizards fans to swallow, but if this is the best chance to get young pieces to kickstart a rebuild, they might want to act fast if this season continues to go south.
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