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Well, that didn't take long. Already, sparks are flying around the NBA as trade rumors surrounding Bradley Beal start to flare up. Beal, the longtime Washington Wizards star, is reportedly being shopped by his team. The most “aggressive” suitor is… unsurprisingly, the Miami Heat, who are competing with the Phoenix Suns, among others. Right now, Beal is the most attractive trade piece on the market, and the offers for the star reflect his pedigree.
The Heat have long been interested in adding another star alongside their core of Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, and Tyler Herro. Already, it seems like Miami has made an offer for Bradley Beal, an offer that notably does not include Adebayo and/or Herro, per The Athletic. Let's analyze this trade and see how this trade works for both parties.
The Trade
Heat get: Bradley Beal
Wizards get: Kyle Lowry, Duncan Robinson, multiple first-round picks.
Heat: A+
This trade is the absolute perfect scenario for Miami. The Heat's goal in their Bradley Beal pursuit is easy to see: find a way to acquire a top-tier talent without trading either Adebayo or Herro. This has arguably held back the Heat's chances of acquiring some truly elite players: Kevin Durant last season was a prime example of this.
In this scenario, the Heat are able to jettison the gigantic contracts of Kyle Lowry and Duncan Robinson in exchange for a star guard in Beal. Lowry and Robinson performed much better during Miami's Finals run, but that still doesn't come close to matching the salary they're owed. Lowry is set to make over $27 million next year. Robinson's price tag is around $18 million. Those are elite role-player/second-option salaries for players that don't come close to that standard.
Flipping both Robinson and Lowry for a player like Beal would be an absolute win for the Heat. Miami would have to pay up in the form of draft compensation to entice the Wizards to take on these two contracts. Still, that's an absolute win for Miami, especially since they're able to keep their core intact in this scenario. A core of Butler, Adebayo, Beal, and Herro would be an insane quartet. There's scenarios where the Heat move Herro to the bench, or they could just simply run the four together alone with another forward to keep things simple. They could also look to trade Herro for help elsewhere.
This is what makes this trade an A+ trade for the Heat. Trades involving star players usually involve the team getting the star making significant sacrifices to their roster. That almost always involves one of the homegrown stars being traded (see: Toronto's trade for Kawhi Leonard). If Miami pulls off this move, they will essentially have their cake and eat it too.
Wizards: D
The same reason why this trade is an A+ grade for the Heat is the same reason the Wizards get a failing grade. Yes, a Bradley Beal trade signals the start of a much-needed rebuild for Washington. Taking on big contracts in exchange for first-round picks is a staple of the tanking playbook. In any other scenario, this would be a better grade for the team.
The problem, though, is that the Wizards could absolutely do better with this trade, especially since it involves the Heat. A rebuild doesn't always have to start from the ground up. Having an young but established players allows a rebuild to be accelerated faster than it would usually take. That's where Tyler Herro or Bam Adebayo comes into play.
Herro is one of the most gifted shooting guards of his generation. His ferocity and ability to score buckets on a whim makes him a nice piece to build a team around. His playmaking has also improved year after year, which is great to see. On the other hand, Adebayo is a defensive savant, the anchor of one of the best defenses in the league. His ability to protect the rim while being as mobile as possible for a big man is unparalleled in this league. On offense, he's also a great roll threat who can dissect defenses with his jumper and short roll passing.
The only way that this proposed trade involving Kyle Lowry and Duncan Robinson happens if the Wizards are left with no other option, which very well could happen if Beal essentially forces his way there thanks to his no-trade clause. Literally every other team in the NBA has asked the Heat for either Herro or Adebayo (and even Butler at times!), and nothing less. Brooklyn refused to deal KD without one of these players. Not snagging a potential franchise centerpiece would be a grave miscalculation from the Washington franchise.
