4 young stars the Wizards should trade Bradley Beal for

The Wizards should trade for Deandre Ayton

From an obscure rookie guard to a former No. 1 overall pick, the Washington Wizards could step into the chaos of the Phoenix Suns’ offseason and make an offer for young center Deandre Ayton. Is there any chance the Suns would play ball?

It’s no secret that the Suns are shopping Ayton this offseason, and while one path is to break his contract into multiple role players, another option would be to go all-in on three stars. Bradley Beal would let them always have two top players on the court during the playoffs, and the court would be well-spaced no matter who else is in the lineup. There wouldn’t be a better 2-3-4 in the league than Beal, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.

For the Wizards, Ayton could be the building block of the next core. He may have been less than a perfect option on a Suns team with Booker, Durant and Chris Paul, but he has averaged a double-double every season in the league and is hyper efficient. Few bigs have his level of touch on floaters and short jumpers, and he’s a solid defender even if he lacks elite shot-blocking abilities.

A package built around Ayton and Landry Shamet with a future pick-swap is an intriguing option. Is it enough for the Wizards? Maybe not, especially with other teams making their own bids, but the talent of Ayton makes it worth considering. He may be the best singular talent of any player the Wizards are offered.