Washington Wizards: Help for Bradley Beal may lie in OKC

Why Washington Does the Deal

The Wizards are running out of reasons for Beal to stick around, even as the face of the franchise. That could all change before his free agency in 2021 though.

Point guard John Wall will be back and healthy, Rui Hachimura will be in his second season as an NBA player, and maybe they’ll have Adams running with them.

For Washington, a deal with Oklahoma for Adams is probably the closest they’ll get to All-Star talent without paying a fool’s ransom. And this season, they simply can’t afford to.

Adams is just a six-year veteran at 26 years old, but he’s seen a lot of basketball in his tenure.

No like, a lot of basketball. Like no less than 70 games in a season basketball. Like, he’s missed the postseason just once kind of basketball. That kind of experience, well it’s invaluable. Adams has played in more playoff games than anyone currently on the WIzards roster.

Adams is one of the more underrated centers in the league. While many saw the Thunder’s initial campaign without Kevin Durant as more of the Russell Westbrook-show; the big man played a large, unaccredited part in their reaching the playoffs that year.

Until now, Adams has been strongly overlooked. While he’s never considered a top scorer or rebounder for his position, he can stuff the stat sheet as well as any big man.

Here he is logging 20 points and 20 rebounds in a win over the Sacramento Kings:

Adams plays a smarter, less flashy version of basketball that only gets lost further when playing next to a showman teammate like Westbrook. He’s efficient but quiet. And that’s why he doesn’t get the same attention as the rest of the NBA’s star centers.

But Washington would provide a very similar situation, atop a slightly higher pedestal playing next to Beal and Wall. Suddenly, the Wizards would return to contention talk among the Eastern Conference playoff race. This trade is a no-brainer for Washington.