And so, the trade rumor mill spins yet again. This time, a familiar face returns to the forefront of the rumors: Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal. The team is reportedly in talks with multiple teams regarding a trade involving the multiple-time All-Star. Beal would have to waive his no-trade clause for this to be possible, of course. Still, teams like the Miami Heat and the Phoenix Suns are reportedly scrambling to trade for Bradley Beal.

With that in mind, let's look at which players should be off-limits for the Heat when it comes to a Bradley Beal trade. There really are two names that should be untouchable in trade talks, and one of them is surely a lock to stay in Miami.

Jimmy Butler

You knew this was going to be one of the answers. The entire point of trading for a player of Bradley Beal's caliber is to pair him with another star. Theoretically, the Heat could do a straight-up swap between Beal and Jimmy Butler, sending the latter to Washington. Does that move the needle for Miami? No; in fact, one could argue that moves makes them worse.

Besides, Beal would the perfect player to pair with Jimmy Butler. Butler is an excellent player, capable of playing incredible defense on one end and mesmerizing offense on the other. However, in the last few years, the Heat have fallen short in the playoffs. Part of it is because Butler's play falls off in later stages due to the heavy load he carries on offense. This was never more apparent than in the Finals this year. After surviving the Celtics' improbable comeback attempt, Butler just didn't have the legs to fight against the Nuggets.

Bradley Beal would be the perfect player to complement Jimmy Butler in this regard. Like Butler, Beal is also a talented scorer and playmaker who can run an offense effectively. He's flown under the radar in the last few year by virtue of playing for the Wizards, but anyone who's watched the Wizards during the mid-2010s can attest to his talent. He can be a bit of a liability on defense, but that's where Butler's talents on that end come into play. Trading for Beal would make Miami an instant contender… depending on who they trade for him, at least.

Bam Adebayo

The real question now becomes: which player becomes the centerpiece for a Heat-Wizards Bradley Beal trade? Unless the Wizards are willing to take Kyle Lowry's ginormous contract, Duncan Robinson (or alternatively, Victor Oladipo and Caleb Martin), and a boatload of picks, a Beal trade would inevitably result in the breakup of the Heat's incumbent Big 3. If Pat Riley is somehow able to keep Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro together and trade for Beal, that would be the greatest trade steal in NBA history. Of course, Riley and the Heat front office is trying hard to make this happen.

Alas, that scenario is most likely a pipe dream. If the Wizards are smart, they will rightfully ask for one of Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro as compensation for the Bradley Beal trade to the Heat. The answer should be fairly obvious: it's Adebayo that Miami should keep.

This is not just due to recency bias: just because Herro was unavailable for the 2023 Miami run doesn't mean that he's instantly getting thrown to the wayside. The Heat guard is absolutely one of the better young guards of this generation. However, the critical issue is that Herro and Beal's weaknesses overlap way too much with each other to be successful. Both Beal and Herro are talented scoring guards with some playmaking skill and have deficiencies on the defensive end. If Adebayo gets traded, the Heat lose their most important security blanket around Herro and Beal's defensive weaknesses.

Bam Adebayo's defense in the regular season slightly regressed: players shot around 67% at the rim around the Heat center. In the playoffs, though, this number dropped to 62.5%. It's also worth noting that subpar defense on the perimeter makes defending the rim much, much harder. The Heat tightened the screw on their perimeter D in the playoffs, and it allowed Bam to be a much better protector.

Adebayo's offensive weaknesses are well-documented at this point. He's shown at times that he's capable of being the man on offense. However, his scoring ability is a little too limited to be an elite second option. He's much better suited as a rim-running big a-la Draymond Green, who can do damage on pick-and-rolls with his short roll passing and finishing. Lucky for the Heat, they get two talented guards to set Bam up with Beal and Butler in this scenario.