Washington Wizards: Heat could be interested in Bradley Beal

Following two very different seasons, the Washington Wizards and Miami Heat are looking to make big changes this offseason. The Heat are reportedly star hunting according to Brian Windhorst while the Wizards are likely looking to rebuild.

This makes a deal between the two teams very likely as there are three players fully capable of being top options on a competing team. However, there is one player that seems like a good fit with this current Heat roster.

Kyle Kuzma plays the same position as Jimmy Butler, and they also have pretty good depth at the wing spots making him an unlikely candidate for a deal. While Kristaps Porzingis could make a great fit with the Heat roster, his injury history doesn’t bode well for the extreme work ethic of the team. He is also unlikely to receive interest from Pat Riley in trade talks.

This leaves only one player.

The Washington Wizards could trade Bradley Beal to the Miami Heat

There have already been plenty of trade rumors and proposals featuring Beal to the Heat, including this one. Trade rumors will only increase following the report by Windhorst, especially since the Wizards have an all-new front office.

While Bradley Beal has one of the toughest to move contracts in the league, no player is untradable. The Wiz have managed to prove that fact a few times in recent years by being involved in trades featuring John Wall, Kristaps Porzingis, and two involving Russell Westbrook, each of whom were thought to have terrible contracts that were unable to be traded.

While the Wizards will likely have to settle for a smaller return package than what Beal would have yielded just a couple of seasons ago, he is still able to bring the Wiz a young player and a handful of picks next to a few expiring contracts.

The biggest problem surrounding the Heat in a potential deal for Beal is the fact that a large portion of their roster is set to be free agents this offseason. This means that unless the trade is built around players who were heavily featured in their playoff run, the Heat will have to rely on a sign and trade, something that can easily fall apart if a player doesn’t want to play in Washington DC.

The Wizards also aren’t likely to be overly interested in the big-name free agents from the Heat as both Cody Martin and Gabe Vincent are 27 years old. It’s far more plausible for the Wiz to focus on a package built around Tyler Herro.

Nikola Jovic could also be an interesting piece in the deal as he is only 20 years old and could develop into a quality player someday. The Wiz would also have to take on a big contract in the form of either Kyle Lowry or Duncan Robinson to make the money work.

If the Washington Wizards do decide to move Bradley Beal, they may get the best return from the Miami Heat. They have youth, access to draft capital, and expiring contracts that could help set the Wizards up for a quick rebuild.