Washington Wizards: the 76ers are unlikely candidates for Beal deal

It has been heavily implied in recent reports by Shams Charania and Adrian Wojnarowski that longtime star of the Washington Wizards Bradley Beal will be traded soon. While he is undoubtably an All-Star caliber talent, there are some concerns regarding him as a trade asset.

The Philadelphia 76ers have been one of the main teams thrown around as potential suitors for the shooting guard. However, they are unlikely to be the team that moves for him.

This is due to a variety of reasons, but largely the ridiculous package that they would be required to give up in order to take his giant contract.

Most huge contracts are reserved for the best of the best in the league. Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic, and Bradley Beal are all making upwards of $50 million next season. One of these players stands out and not in a good way.

Despite being only a three-time All-Star and never making it past the second round, Beal is paid the same amount as two of the best players in NBA history, one of whom is the Finals MVP. This will hold the Wizards back in any contract negotiations, especially with teams already in tricky financial situations.

On top of this, he is a smaller player at his position, only standing at six-foot-three. This causes him to be a liability on the defensive end, further limiting his trade value.

This is only worsened by the likely requirement to make the trade work.

The pieces in this Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers deal is just unrealistic

The Washington Wizards will be looking to rebuild next season if they are willing to trade Beal, meaning they will likely want young players in return. In the 76ers case, this almost has to be Tyrese Maxey.

However, Maxey is still on a rookie contract. With Joel Embiid also on a large deal and Tobias Harris still on the roster, they would need to add another big contract. This almost certainly has to be Tobias Harris.

Asking Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris in exchange for Bradley Beal is a reach to say the least. This unfortunately means that the Sixers are likely out.

There are a wide variety of teams that the Washington Wizards can find to trade with like the New York Knicks or the Miami Heat, but the Philadelphia 76ers will most likely not be that team.