Bradley Beal has been one of the best offensive talents in the league over the last several seasons and after spending the first 11 years of his career with the Washington Wizards, the veteran shooting guard may be ready to join a new team this offseason.
With new president Michael Winger and new general manager Will Dawkins ready to take the Wizards in a different direction, Beal and Washington have been in contact about a possible trade involving the three-time All-Star and they will be exploring all options ahead of next week's NBA Draft.
Set to turn 30-years-old at the end of June, Beal has a true no-trade clause in the five-year, $251 million deal he signed with Washington last summer, meaning he has full control over trade talks involving him. Beal can not only dictate whether or not he approves of a trade the Wizards put together, but he will have a say in what the packages coming in to the Wizards and going out look like.
A new era of Wizards basketball may very well be set to begin with a massive decision involving Beal looming and with him on the market, Beal has several suitors around the league. From teams who have proven to be championship contenders to teams that are right on the cusp of achieving greatness, here are five possible destinations that make the most sense for Beal if he was to leave Washington this offseason.
#1 Miami Heat
Fresh off their run to the NBA Finals for the second time in the last four seasons, the Miami Heat are right on the cusp of winning their fourth title. However, losing in the Finals yet again has proven that the Heat are still missing that key second star next to All-Star Jimmy Butler. This is why Pat Riley and Miami's front office are going to be aggressive in both free agency and on the trade market.
Having a payroll that already exceeds $170 million entering the offseason, the most plausible way for the Heat to add talent is via trades and they have been linked to Beal for years. Miami's backcourt has been lacking firepower for quite some time and The Athletic's Shams Charania reported recently that the Heat are expected to be prominent suitors for Beal if he is to move on from Washington this offseason.
They have a proven, championship roster, they have one of the best coaches in the league in Erik Spoelstra, they have arguably the greatest basketball mind ever in Pat Riley and Beal would get to play in Miami. It really does not get better than this for the Wizards' star, which is why the Heat are right at the top of destinations that make the most sense for him to continue his career.
#2 Golden State Warriors
Having the league's biggest tax bill and having a payroll that will exceed $200 million next season, the Golden State Warriors getting their hands on Beal is near impossible. However, the Warriors want to capitalize on their chances of contending for a championship right now and adding the All-Star guard absolutely does this.
Taking his talents to the West Coast offers Beal the perfect landing spot on a championship contending team where he can leave his imprint on the league. A core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and Beal gives the Warriors the best starting group in the league yet again and should ownership be willing to pay the extremely high bill, they can make this work.
Coming up with nearly $46 million in outgoing salaries is not easy, yet the Warriors could make player like Jordan Poole ($27.9 million), Gary Payton II ($8.7 million) and Jonathan Kuminga ($6 million) available to bring in Beal's large contract.
Is this scenario reasonable?
Sure, Golden State can absolutely put together a package that works from a financial standpoint. However, the Warriors have to negotiate a new deal with Green this offseason and Thompson will be up for an extension, so pursuing Beal probably isn't the best thing for this franchise right now despite interest possibly existing.
#3 Los Angeles Lakers
Much like the Warriors, the Los Angeles Lakers will have their own free agency and financial problems to juggle this offseason, which is why turning their attention to a trade for Beal seems unlikely. On the other hand, GM Rob Pelinka is always looking to be aggressive in the trade market and money has not held the Lakers back any time before.
LeBron James has made it clear to management that he wants to win and compete for a championship as his career nears an end. Los Angeles should be willing to do everything it takes to get back to the Western Conference Finals and contend for another title, which is why Beal could be the missing piece for them. How they make a potential deal for Beal work though is a completely separate issue the Lakers would have trouble with.
Assuming Beal and the Wizards want to part ways, Washington is going to be looking to bring back value and future assets. The Lakers own the No. 17 overall pick in this year's draft and they have a few other future first-round picks they could leverage, but would the Wizards really be interested in a sign-and-trade involving either Austin Reaves or D'Angelo Russell? This would effectively hard-cap the Wizards and this is not really that great of a return for a Top-15, maybe Top-10 scorer, in the league right now.
In terms of contending for a title and playing with both James and Anthony Davis, Los Angeles would be an ideal spot for Beal in a trade this offseason. On the other side of things, being the third option may not be what Beal has in mind right now.
#4 New York Knicks
Now this is where things can begin to get very interesting in regards to Beal trade scenarios. For years, the New York Knicks have been rumored to be targeting superstar talents, yet they have not added an All-Star to their roster. Jalen Brunson turned out to be a terrific addition for this team last summer and picking up Josh Hart at the trade deadline allowed the Knicks to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the first time since 2013.
There is a lot to like about the Knicks as an organization right now and they may just have the best assets out of any team that can put together a trade package for Beal.
Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin are both on expiring rookie contracts and will enter the offseason eligible for extensions. Evan Fournier is a veteran whose contract could be used as a salary-filler, Derrick Rose has a $15.5 million team option New York could decline to free up funds and RJ Barrett continues to be a question mark despite signing a four-year, $107 million extension last summer that will begin during the 2023-24 season. The Knicks also own the rights to six first-round picks from 2024-26, so they are more than capable of pursuing star-level talent this offseason.
The Wizards guard would undoubtedly be an upgrade over Barrett for the Knicks and this team as a whole lacks a key scorer like Beal. A trade like this would make New York true playoff threats that could contend against the best of the best in the East.
#5 Philadelphia 76ers
If Beal wants out of Washington, he is going to want to go to a team that can contend for a title right now and somewhere he can be a primary option. The Philadelphia 76ers have the league's reigning MVP in Joel Embiid, but their talent outside of him contains a lot of question marks.
Will James Harden leave in the offseason? Does Tyrese Maxey deserves a max extension? Is Tobias Harris going to be with the team much longer since he is in the final year of his deal?
All of these questions are relevant to the Sixers right now and bringing in Beal as another All-Star scoring weapon does make a lot of sense. Harris' $39.2 million contract can be used to facilitate nearly any deal Philadelphia wants to pursue and despite their lack of tradeable draft assets, the 76ers still have former first-round pick Jaden Springer.
The 76ers likely do not have what the Wizards are looking for in a Beal-oriented deal, but they still find themselves as one of the better destinations for him in an offseason trade.
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