This proposed trade sending Beal to Toronto is a home run for the Wizards
By Cem Yolbulan
The NBA Draft, free agency, and the trade season are almost here. 28 teams in the NBA, including the Washington Wizards, are impatiently waiting for the offseason to start so that they can revamp their roster. The Wizards, seemingly intent on being active this summer, are obviously a big part of the trade rumor mill.
Teams around the league are presumably monitoring the Wizards’ situation closely to see who is available. On the top of that list is Bradley Beal.
In the latest edition of fake trade scenarios, Greg Swartz of the Bleacher Report proposed a trade that sends the All-Star guard to the Toronto Raptors.
Bradley Beal has four more years and $208 million left on his supermax contract. If a rebuild is in the works, getting a monster contract like this off your books is a great start. Keeping a 30-year old player who hasn’t made the All-Star team each of the last two seasons doesn’t make too much sense for a rebuilding team.
The Washington Wizards should consider offloading Beal for any positive value return. And this Raptors package is much more than just positive value.
OG Anunoby’s team-friendly contract makes him a very appealing target
OG Anunoby is one of the best value contracts in the league, making only $18 million for the 2023-24 season. He is only 25 years old and is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. He is also improving on the offensive end year in year out. He is already a wonderful 3 & D option with a potential to be much more. With the Wizards, he can have a larger offensive role to explore what he is capable of, and the Wizards can re-sign him to a long-term contract and make him one of their franchise cornerstones.
Gary Trent Jr. is a 24-year old shooting guard who provides solid shooting and secondary playmaking that can provide much needed spacing for the Wizards. He will most likely opt out of his $18 million player option for next season and require a big long-term commitment. He is a young, productive player and even if the Wizards have to overpay him for this trade to work, he should still be tradeable if necessary in the future.
Christian Koloko was Toronto’s second-round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. The Cameroonian center has great length and shot-blocking ability. He showed intriguing flashes as a rim protector in his rookie season, even starting in 19 games for the Raptors. He is worth a look for the Wizards to see if they can turn him into a solid defensive big man long-term.
Despite the perfect fit, it’s hard to see Toronto trading for Beal
On the other end of the deal, Bradley Beal fits perfectly in Toronto. The core of Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl is a solid one that is in need of an elite shot creator and scorer. The starting five of VanVleet-Beal-Barnes-Siakam-Poeltl is a dangerous one, but it’s probably still not good enough to be championship contenders.
It is tough to see the Raptors and their smart front office with Masai Ujiri at the helm being super interested in a deal that doesn’t make them a true contender, especially considering how highly they value Anunoby. They were reportedly offered three first-round picks at the trade deadline and they declined. It wouldn’t make too much sense to cash in an asset worth more than three first-round picks for an overpaid Bradley Beal.
If a deal of this sort is on the table for Bradley Beal, the Wizards should not think twice before taking it. It will be fascinating to see what Beal’s trade value actually is. If it’s anywhere close to this package, there will be a lot of happy faces in Washington.
