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Bradley Beal has reportedly “made up his mind” about his plans for free agency. What exactly those plans are remains to be seen. But it's a somewhat ominous sign for Washington Wizards fans that it remains a mystery up to this point if he wasn't so seriously considering jumping ship to another franchise.
Bradley Beal isn't a 1A player who can be the best player on a championship team. But should he decide to leave D.C., a player of his caliber could be the last piece a budding contender needs in order to win a championship.
Here are the three (3) best landing spots for Bradley Beal if he decides to end his stint with the Wizards for greener pastures:
3 best destinations for Bradley Beal in potential Wizards exit
Speaking of being the swing piece for a team looking to win the title, the Boston Celtics could have largely used a big-time scorer in Bradley Beal during their run to the title.
Jayson Tatum felt the crunch as the primary scorer carrying most of the offensive load through four grueling rounds. Having a three-time All-Star in Beal who has averaged 30 points per game twice in the past two years would take a huge burden off his broad, yet young shoulders.
Add to that the fact that Beal has served as JT's big brother since they were kids and you just know his presence and the instant chemistry that adds would do wonders for Tatum's confidence.
It gets dicey in trying to come up with a trade package in a potential sign-and-trade. Jaylen Brown is definitely going to be off the table at this point. But could Marcus Smart potentially go the other way? Derrick White also has a high salary to match and potentially the Celtics' youth and draft assets to sweeten any deal.
If you thought Jayson Tatum needed another potent scorer alongside him in the last postseason run, then that goes double for Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat. Mr. Jimmy Buckets was his meme-tired self resting on the baseline stanchion all throughout the postseason, single-handedly winning a few crucial contests for his Heat when they needed him most.
24 points for Jimmy Butler 🔥
20 points for the rest of the Heat 😳 pic.twitter.com/rdELNIU9op— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 30, 2022
Butler had four 40-point performances and was a transition three away from punching Miami's ticket to the NBA Finals all without another player who averaged 15 points or better on the roster with him.
If there's a team that needs an injection of offense in the mold of a Bradley Beal – it's Jimmy Butler's Heat. Beal is a proven three-level scorer who has the versatility to play both on and off the ball depending on what the situation calls for. Adding Beal to the mix with Butler and Kyle Lowry would give them three offensive initiators from the point of attack. He'd lift a huge burden off the injury-prone Lowry and overtly-taxed Butler.
Beal is also the type of star who takes care of his body and puts in the work, which is a necessity when it comes to becoming a part of #HeatCulture. His defense may not have been up to standard in recent seasons, but perhaps a change of scenery and some hard-nosed new teammates could spark that fire in him to compete on that end as well.
Can the Philadelphia 76ers have their cake and eat it too? The Sixers were one of the teams firmly entrenched in the Bradley Beal sweepstakes rumors but opted to go a direction with more facial hair in James Harden.
Goes to show just how much ammunition they had in the first place given that they still have the assets necessary to make a potential sign-and-trade a possibility. They arguably are the team that could ultimately refuse said deal given the potential from their most important trade chip in Tyrese Maxey. Given that Maxey is still on his rookie deal and is one of the most promising young guards in the league, it's a big ask.
But if making Joel Embiid happy and maximizing his prime is the primary focus of the Sixers, adding Bradley Beal in exchange for Maxey and unloading Tobias Harris' contract could signal that the team is serious about winning now. Given James Harden's new form as a playmaker and Joel Embiid's already reported interest in a Beal team-up, that a swing the Sixers might need to seriously consider.
