Washington Wizards: 4 Bradley Beal trades that actually help the Wizards

The Washington Wizards trade Bradley Beal to Atlanta

Washington Wizards Receive: John Collins, Cam Reddish, Kevin Huerter, Tony Snell, and 2021 First-round Pick
Atlanta Hawks Receive: G Bradley Beal

How it helps the Washington Wizards:

If the Wizards decide that it’s time to blow it up and rebuild, then this trade will help ensure the process isn’t long and grueling. John Collins, Cam Reddish, and Kevin Huerter are all 23 and under, which puts them on the same timeline as Washington’s other two young building blocks, Rui Hachimura (22 years old) and Deni Avdija (20 years old). Washington would be fully embracing the youth movement if they pull off this trade, which may not be a bad thing as they currently sit 14th in the Eastern Conference.

The addition of a 2021 first-round pick is crucial in this deal because the Wizards could potentially lose John Collins in free agency soon after he arrives in D.C. The Atlanta Hawks were not able to strike a deal with him before the season, so he’ll be entering the 2021 offseason as a restricted free agent. Due to the emergence of DeAndre Hunter and the addition of Clint Capela, Collins’ numbers have dropped slightly. This season, he’s currently averaging 16.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 blocks. That’s a significant dip from last year when he averaged 21.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.6 blocks. Fewer opportunities have caused his production to plunge but he can still be a high-level player in the right situation.

With Thomas Bryant lost for the season due to a torn ACL, Washington could be the perfect situation for Collins to get back on track. Bryant was averaging a career high 14.3 points and shooting a ridiculous 64.8 percent from the field before going down to injury. Just like Bryant, Collins would benefit dramatically from playing alongside Russell Westbrook. Collins is crazy athletic and only 23 years old, so even though the Wizards may not want to break the bank this offseason, his upside may be too good to pass up if they make this trade with the Hawks.

How it helps the Atlanta Hawks:

This should be a no brainer for Atlanta. The chance to add the NBA’s leading scorer to help take the pressure off Trae Young would do wonders for this team. After having an All-Star year last season, Young is having somewhat of a down year. He’s currently averaging 26.1 points and 8.5 assists compared to 29.6 points and 9.3 assists last year. After a rough start to the season, Young is shooting 42.0 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from three, which is slightly lower than last year when he shot 43.7 percent and 36.1 percent, respectively.

Opposing teams have made it a point of emphasis this year to slow him down and make Atlanta’s supporting cast do the scoring. Beal would allow Trae to be the second option on offense most nights and that’s scary for the rest of the league. Both these players can light up the scoreboard in a hurry and they’d give opposing defenses nightmares trying to scheme up ways to contain them.

This offseason, the Hawks added Danilo Gallinari, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kris Dunn, and Rajon Rondo to help make the playoffs for the first time since 2016-2017. Unfortunately, they’ve been dealing with a ton of injuries to start the year. Bogdanovic is out indefinitely after suffering an avulsion fracture in his right knee. Dunn has not played yet this season after having ankle surgery on December 29. Gallinari and Rondo have both missed their share of games dealing with ankle and knee injuries, respectively. Bringing Beal to Atlanta would drastically improve their chances of making the playoffs and contending in the Eastern Conference amidst all their injury and uncertainty. —Jamal Bedell