Washington Wizards Trade Rumors: The Brooklyn Nets want Bradley Beal? Too bad.

Sorry, Brooklyn Nets. You’re not getting Bradley Beal. He’s a Washington Wizard.

You can add another Bradley Beal suitor to the list. First, it was the Los Angeles Lakers that were going to woo Beal out of Washington. Then, it was just a matter of time before he landed in South Beach with the Miami Heat. Now, the Brooklyn Nets reportedly want to steal the East’s best shooting guard from the Washington Wizards.

According to a report from Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, the Nets have internally discussed the possibility of poaching Beal.

"Immersed in their championship window, the Brooklyn Nets are in the market for a third star and have internally discussed avenues of acquiring Wizards guard Bradley Beal, the Daily News has learned."

Good for the Brooklyn Nets. What team wouldn’t want to add the NBA’s second-leading scorer to their squad? But, unfortunately, Bradley Beal isn’t for sale. Especially with what the Nets have to offer.

The Washington Wizards are not trading Bradley Beal.

Before we go any further discussing possible trade scenarios between the Wizards and Nets, I want to make one thing perfectly clear. The Washington Wizards have been adamant about not trading Bradley Beal. Bradley Beal has been adamant, and increasingly honest, about wanting to stay in Washington. So the chances of any deal happening are slim, to begin with.

The contract extension that Beal signed just before the start of the season should be proof. But alas, some people just won’t listen.

The Possible Package

Bondy suggests that if the Nets were to try and trade for Beal, they’d like to place him beside Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.  SO rule them out of any possible return.

What do you have next? Likely some combination of Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert, and Spencer Dinwiddie. Oh and hopefully some picks thrown in there.

Allen would be an obvious improvement at the center position and provide something huge that neither Thomas Bryant nor Mortiz Wagner could; rim protection. This season, the Wizards surrender the fifth-most points in the paint per game.

They also allowed the third most second-chance points, and were one of the NBA’s worst rebounding teams. Allen would immediately help in both of those areas, as well. Allen’s 9.5 per game average on the boards beats Thomas Bryant (the Wizards’ leading rebounder) by more than 2.5 rebounds per game.

Evaluating how Dinwiddie and LeVert would affect the roster is a bit trickier. It’s the conundrum of whether two good things are equal to one really great thing. Basically does Dinwiddie + LeVert = Beal?

And they probably don’t. To their credit, both are in the midst of the best seasons of their careers, but while they’re both proving to be legitimate starters, Beal is proving to be a legitimate star.

Dinwiddie, while a productive scorer, has a much different game from Beal. He does most of his damage below the three-point line and has shot 34 percent or better during just one of his five NBA seasons. The Wizards need more shooters, not fewer.

LeVert possesses a little more upside than Dinwiddie and this is where things really start to get interesting. Although 25 and in his fourth NBA season, we may not have seen everything there is from LeVert. When Kyrie Irving went down for the Nets this season, LeVert enjoyed a bigger role as a primary ballhandler and saw his offensive numbers shoot up across the board.

If the Wizards believe he can continue to improve with more responsibility, maybe they entertain some offers and answer some phone calls. He’s locked up on a pretty reasonably priced contract through the 2022-23 season. But even if he takes another step next year, he’ll still be a far cry from what Beal’s become.

Just Not Enough

So Allen is a slight improvement at center, but a season away from a payday. Dinwiddie is solid, but won’t move the needle, and his latest stunt is odd if not worrisome for a new team. LeVert is good but not great. Of course, there would need to be picks attached (and the Nets have enough to offer), but how valuable will draft picks be from a team with Irving, Durant, and Beal?

No one is truly untouchable in the NBA, but if the Wizards were to trade Beal, it would go against everything we’ve seen them do and say for the last (at least) eight months. Plus, if the Wizards were to deal Beal, they’d be hoping that either Wall or one of these newly acquired Nets are the team’s best player next season. I’m not nearly as confident in that squad (even if they’d have more depth) as I am in one led by Beal. Especially with what that’d mean for easing John Wall back into action.

Let the front offices around the NBA have all the internal meetings they want. The Wizards should be smart and stick with what’s already in Washington. Wall and Beal deserve a shot to run it back.