Washington Wizards: Knicks could be suitors in potential Beal deal
By Cory Nelson
A lot of Washington Wizards fans may not have seen this coming but Bradley Beal’s time in the nation’s capital could be coming to an end.
But some Wizards supporters are pushing for Beal’s departure.
Quite frankly, the fans in D.C. are tired of the losing seasons. They missed the postseason for a second consecutive year and only made the playoffs once in the last five years.
Beal could be traded as part of the rebuilding process
With a new general manager in Michael Winger, the Wizards could be headed into rebuilding mode. In the tear-down process, Beal could be one of the players moved.
On Monday’s episode of Get Up, ESPN’s Alan Hahn mentioned the New York Knicks as a possible destination for the three-time All-Star:
"“There’s a team in the East that could use this player and actually they have been linked to him in the past. It’s the Knicks…you put him next to Jalen Brunson, and you’ve got a backcourt that’s one of the best in the league as far as scoring goes. Very unstoppable. And he’s at a point in his career where he’s trying to be about winning. And the Knicks have all the things the Wizards would need. Young players and draft picks. So that’s a team to watch.”"
Both the Knicks and the Wizards could benefit from this trade.
Beal on the Knicks would be beautiful to watch. Granted, Beal seems to be past his prime but at the age of 29, he’s still got a lot left in his tank. He could still be a reliable scorer. He averaged 23 points and shot a career-high 50 percent from the field last season. He can still knock down 3-pointers, shooting 36 percent from beyond the arc last year.
Brunson, who had a career year averaging 24 points a game, could complement Beal and vice versa.
Yet, there are some questions regarding Beal’s health and availability. In the past three years, he played in just 150 games out of the possible 236. Injuries are unfortunate and unpredictable but when a team is trying to win in the long term, they have to do whatever it takes, even if it means letting Beal go.
The Knicks have solid young players that the Wizards might be interested in
Losing Beal in a trade with the Knicks might not be such a bad thing for the Wizards.
Not only could the Wizards acquire a few of the Knicks’ seven 2024 draft picks; four first-rounders and three second-rounders, but they might also be able to get their hands on one of their best scorers in RJ Barrett.
Barrett is currently a starter on the Knicks. A left-handed player and a much-improved shooter, Barrett needs to continue to work on his shot as the Wizards are in desperate need of shooting. He can, however, get to the rim on a consistent basis, even though he is not an elite finisher yet.
Another great asset the Wizards could potentially acquire is Immanuel Quickley. A combo guard with a great three-point shot and the ability to get to the rim, he could even be a better building block than Barrett. Quickley also needs to improve his finishing at the rim.
The basketball experience and intellect Winger’s new front office brought have us believe they will get a solid return for Beal to benefit the Wizards.
