The Washington Wizards need to trade Bradley Beal. But we aren’t selling low here!
The Bradley Beal sweepstakes is back on and this time, the Washington Wizards have no one to blame but themselves.
After spending the past couple of seasons in the lottery, the Washington Wizards were hoping that this would be the year they would return to playoff relevance.
They traded for former MVP, Russell Westbrook, re-signed sharpshooter Davis Bertans, and drafted playmaker Deni Avdija. The only problem is, they haven’t done much winning.
The Wizards are currently at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Unfortunately, Russell Westbrook has looked like a shell of his former self and head coach Scott Brooks has made a fair amount of questionable coaching decisions. With the Wizards losing games and Beal scoring in bunches, the vultures are starting to circle.
We’re just a few months removed from GM Tommy Sheppard flatly refusing to entertain Beal trade talks, but they have to reconsider that stance. The Wizards have wanted to prove that they can win with Beal on the roster, but it seems that the truth is coming to light.
This team, as much as it may hurt some people to read, cannot compete for a title. And trying to sneak into the playoffs is simply delaying the inevitable. It’s time for a rebuild and it’s time to trade Beal. What once seemed like something this team would never do, now feels like something they have to do.
Here’s the deal, though. Two late fist-round picks and Furkan Korkmaz (no offense, Furkan!) is not going to get you Bradley Beal.
I am sick of seeing hypothetical trades where the Wizards get next to nothing for the NBA’s leading scorer. Instead of acquiring picks in the mid-twenties, failed young prospects, and washed up vets, the writers at Wiz of Awes got in the GM seat and made some Beal trades that would ACTUALLY BENEFIT the Wizards. Enjoy!
The Washington Wizards Trade Bradley Beal to Denver
Washington Wizards Receive: Michael Porter Jr., Gary Harris, Will Barton, RJ Hampton, 2024 First-round Pick, 2026 First-round Pick
Denver Nuggets Receive: Bradley Beal, Troy Brown Jr.
Boom. So off the bat, I’m playing hardball. I’m not just after young players. Draft compensation is a must, and two first-round picks should do it. If teams can dream up scenarios that end with the Wizards getting completely fleeced, I am allowed to come up with one where they get comfortably compensated.
How it helps the Washington Wizards:
The one major positive about a Bradley Beal trade is that it jumpstarts the rebuild. Take the New Orleans Pelicans, whose recent rebuild was thoroughly sped up by the package they received for Anthony Davis, which included Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and three first-round picks. The Wizards should be after something similar. They have to find a guy who could be a potential cornerstone and I think Michael Porter Jr. can be that guy.
I know some are conscious of Michael Porter Jr’s injury history — a back injury caused him to free fall on draft night — but if medical records check out, he is a serious player. Standing at 6’10, Porter can score at all three levels. This season, his second active season in the NBA, he is averaging 18.4 points per game. Still just 22 years old, Porter could be the next face of the franchise in Washington.
RJ Hampton is an interesting prospectworth taking a flier on. Gary Harris is more of a cap filler and has faded over the past few seasons, but having another young (26 years old) 3&D wing is not the worst thing. The Nuggets don’t have a ton of first-round picks to sell, but the Wizards will need at least two to help keep the rebuild moving over the next few years.
Why it helps the Denver Nuggets:
Fresh off of a Western Conference Finals appearance, the Nuggets’ championship window is open. Their two star players, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, are only 25 and 23 years old, respectively. They already have a young core in place and last year that core got them to the Western Conference Finals. Beal is the piece they need to take the next step.
Adding Bradley Beal to an already potent offense would be lethal. Nikola Jokic is one of the best passing big men in the league (if not one of the best passers in general), and Jamal Murray thrives while making plays with the ball in his hands. Beal, who can be effective with and without the ball, is the perfect fit.
Nuggets fans might see this package and think it is a bit much, but they are one of the few teams I believe can put together a quality offer without mortgaging their future too much. They would also get back 21-year-old Troy Brown, whose swiss-army knife style of play can be effective on any team. — Jack Skolnik
The Washington Wizards trade Bradley Beal to New Orleans
Washington Wizards Receive: Lonzo Ball, Kira Lewis Jr, JJ Redick, 2021 First-round Pick, 2023 First-round Pick, 2025 First-round Pick, 2027 First-round Pick
New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Bradley Beal
Bradley Beal is a STAR. And as the NBA’s leading scorer, his special skillset is coveted by teams far and wide. A guaranteed bucket, Beal’s prowess for scoring will come in handy when games get tight, adjustments get tighter, and the defense gets chippy.
Having scoured the league, I found one team that has the assets to pry Beal from Washington’s grasp: The New Orleans Pelicans. Since the Anthony Davis trade in 2019, the Pelicans have accumulated a war chest of draft picks that includes 13 first-round picks over the next eight drafts.
Well, it’s time for Nola to spend that draft capital.
The Wizards would need to move Russell Westbrook and Davis Bertans to truly rebuild. I’d propose Bradley Beal, Davis Bertans, and Russell Westbrook for Lonzo Ball, Kira Lewis, JJ Redick, and four first-round picks.
As a huge Russ fan -– I recall refashioning Shea Serrano’s catchphrase with “I’d serve three consecutive life-sentences for Russell Westbrook” -– it pains me to say that, but you don’t rebuild with max players on the team. And rebuilding teams don’t need $80-million specialists.
Moving everyone at once won’t work straight up. It’s too much salary to move at once. Rather than getting lost in the weeds with finding a third team willing to join in on the fun, I ran a scaled-down version that also works.
How it helps the Washington Wizards
With the arrival of Lonzo Ball, Washington, D.C. gets its first pure pass-first point guard since Steve Blake. Additionally, it allows the city to redeem itself. I recall Lonzo’s first trip to Washington, D.C. in the fall of 2017. The home crowd sunk to a low and vociferously booed a rookie, no doubt because of his father’s antics. The city is better than that, and we should hope to get a chance to rewrite that wrong by welcoming Lonzo with open arms.
Kira Lewis is a promising rookie scoring guard who would work well alongside Ball. With Ball and Lewis manning the backcourt, Deni Avdija, Rui Hachimura, and a returning Thomas Bryant manning the frontcourt, the Wizards will have a young team that the city can get behind as the quintet grows together.
Plus, the draft picks ensure that the Wizards can continue to add young talent around their ascending core. — Ron Oakes-Cunningham
The Washington Wizards trade Bradley Beal to Miami
Washington Wizards Receive: Tyler Herro, Kelly Olynyk, Andre Igoudala, Precious Achiuwa, 2022 First-round Pick, 2024 First-round Pick, 2025 First-round Swap, 2026 First-round Pick
Miami Heat Receive: Bradley Beal, Troy Brown Jr
How it helps the Washington Wizards:
After seeing what the Houston Rockets were able to get in the James Harden deal with almost no leverage, my ideal price on Bradley Beal went up. But when you’re dealing with Pat Riley, you have to be a bit cautious. It was reported that Riley was hesitant to put Duncan Robinson in a deal for James Harden, so I left him out of this one. Besides, he’d be super redundant next to Davis Bertans, even though I think you might as well get what you can for the Laser if you’re trading Beal. But I digress.
Anyways, the Rockets got THREE firsts (2022,2024,2026) and FOUR first-round swaps from Brooklyn (2021,2023,2025,2027), plus a first from Milwaukee (2022) in the James Harden trade. I really don’t think three firsts and one swap is a lot to ask for the NBA’S LEADING SCORER.
That would give the Wizards eight first-round picks between 2021 and 2026.
In this deal, the Wizards get to add a ton a draft capital which they can either use in future trades or use to build around their new core of Tyler Herro, Deni Avdija, Rui Hachimura, Precious Achiuwa, and Thomas Bryant.
That’s a pretty great core of players all under 25 years old — two of which were on last year’s All-Rookie teams –, all with complimentary skill sets. Olynyk and Igoudala I could honestly care less about. Thanks for making the numbers work? But ultimately, this gives the Wizards a strong, talented foundation with enough picks to help build something special around it.
How it helps the Miami Heat:
For one, all the photoshops of Beal in a Heat jersey will not have been created in vain. No other fanbase has been as impressively annoying in their thirst for Beal as the Miami Heat fanbase. And now they get their guy.
Miami already has a great team. Hell, they went to the NBA Finals last season. But if they’re missing anything, it’s a bucket-getter; somebody who can score anytime, anyplace, vs anybody. That’s exactly what they’re getting in Bradley Beal. By acquiring Beal, the Heat would be filling one of their few holes with one of the best in the business. Tyler Herro stepped up admirably many times in the playoffs, but Beal is leaps and bounds ahead of Herro right now. The Nets may have just established their own big three of Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and Kevin Durant, but Beal, Jimmy Butler, and BamAdebayo could go toe to toe in a seven-game series with anybody.
And I feel like Troy Brown would finally be able to put it all together in Miami. All the flashes that we’ve seen in D.C., they’d figure out how to use it down in Miami. Go be free, Troy! — Ethan Smith
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