After spending the first decade years of his career languishing with the Washington Wizards, Bradley Beal is seemingly finally ready to play serious basketball once again. Beyond the fact that the Wizards have hardly ever been good during Beal's 11 year tenure in D.C. (just one playoff win in the last five seasons), they've been irrelevant: it's possible to entire months without remembering the ‘Zards even exist. For years, though, Beal has been content to endure this quiet, forgotten mediocrity, even signing a mammoth super max contract with the NBA's lone no-trade clause last offseason. But now, with reports that Beal and the Wizards are discussing potential trade options, Beal is once again at the center of the NBA universe. Here's how the Knicks can win the 2023 offseason by swinging a blockbuster trade for Bradley Beal.

Knicks get: Bradley Beal

Wizards get: Evan Fournier, Derrick Rose, Obi Toppin, 2024 Knicks first round pick (top 10 protected), 2024 Mavericks first round pick (top 10 protected)

Although Beal's contract is intimidatingly large, trading for him presents perhaps the NBA's rarest opportunity: the chance to trade for a star player without giving up a star-level return. Beal is among the best offensive players in recent memory, but it's impossible for the Wizards to command a haul commensurate with Beal's true talent. Namely, Beal's no-trade clause severely limits the number of potential suitors. The Wizards can only trade Beal with Beal's permission, meaning that he can essentially dictate his destination. Similarly, the four years, $208 million left on Beal's contract (not even including his 15 percent trade kicker) make it difficult for any contender to fit Beal into their cap sheet while still staying below the NBA's second, more punitive luxury tax line. In other words, not that many teams can trade for Beal—and Beal probably wouldn't be interested in the ones who can.

Accordingly, the Knicks are perhaps the sole team that can offer the Wizards an enticing trade package while still giving Beal a chance to make a deep playoff run. In Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson, the Knicks have two of the most underpaid stars in the league, a pair of All-NBA caliber studs who are getting paid like good role players. As such, the Knicks would be able to absorb Beal's contract without too much difficulty this offseason, although Beal's deal may present issues as it balloons over the next few years. To wit, the Knicks could swing a trade and absorb Beal's salary  without sacrificing much, if any, of their depth; Evan Fournier and Derrick Rose were excised from the rotation by Christmas of last year and Obi Toppin is a bit player as a backup forward. In this sense, the Knicks would be able to add another creator and sharpshooter this offseason at almost no on-court cost.

During their six game loss to the Miami Heat in the second round of the playoffs, the Knicks' need for more offense was on full display. Outside of Jalen Brunson, nobody on the Knicks could threaten Miami's defense. Julius Randle, their Second Team All-NBA stalwart, was hampered by an ankle injury; he played without mobility or aggression, two of the staples of his game. RJ Barrett was good in spurts, but the Heat eventually adjusted to his clumsy, graceless game, hounding him into a disastrous 1-10 shooting night in the deciding Game 6.

Luckily, Beal would fix this. With the Wizards, Beal has uniformly thrived even as he's assumed different roles and responsibilities. Originally, he functioned as a pure shooting guard, flanking John Wall as he gradually rounded out the edges of his game. Then, he emerged as one of the NBA's most prolific on-ball creators, scoring over 30 points per game in the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons. Now, he's the conductor of a talented (if underwhelming) attack, toggling to a more pass-friendly gear as he's worked to accommodate fellow 20 point per game scorers such as Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis.

Even if Beal never recaptures the same scoring verve he demonstrated a few years ago, his versatility makes him a hugely valuable offensive force. Even at its best, the Knicks offense felt somewhat fragile—sure, they scored at one of the best rates in NBA history, but it was predicated entirely on isolation play from Brunson and Randle and offensive rebounding. Against the Heat, the Knicks fell victim to the same math that they exploited in the regular season; their scoring cratered once Randle got hurt and their rebounding slightly ticked down. Beal is the antidote—his shot-making would give the Knicks another outlet and his playmaking would tie the team together. By trading for Beal, the Knicks could make the jump from a good team to a great one.