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Amid recent reports that the Washington Wizards have given Bradley Beal permission to speak to potential trade partners, the Brooklyn Nets are now regarded as a potential landing spot for the three-time All-Star, per Turner Sports' Chris Haynes.
Haynes would make the comments on the #thisleague UNCUT podcast with NBA insider Marc Stein, in what is the first official instance of a prominent media member mentioning the Nets as a possibility.
If the Nets were to target Beal, it would presumably be in an effort to build around forwards Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, who both excelled after being acquired by Brooklyn at the trade deadline. Although Beal has yet to prove he can consistently lead a team to the playoffs as their first option, his go-to scoring abilities should serve both Bridges and Johnson well as they continue to test their offensive ceiling.
To that point, the defensive prowess of Bridges and Johnson allows Beal to take easier matchups defensively. Although both Bridges and Johnson are frontcourt players, they have the ability to guard down the lineup, which will give Brooklyn options for how they want to use Beal defensively.
Furthermore, Beal's leadership is unquestioned. On a roster led by an old school, hard-nosed head coach in Jacque Vaughn, his voice in the locker room will undoubtedly be desired. With the youth of the players around him, it could prove to be invaluable.
A trade package headlined by Ben Simmons and Cam Thomas would ideally be enough for the Nets to acquire Beal. However, as neither have what's exactly a sparkling reputation, the Wizards would likely ask for a fair bit of draft compensation as well.
