The Bradley Beal era in Washington may be coming to a potential end. According to reports per Shams Charania and Joshua Robbins, the Washington Wizards are trying to work a deal that can trade Bradley Beal to a team of his liking, if they decide to move on. Trade rumors have been circulating with Beal since last season. Kyle Kuzma is also most likely to hit free agency as it is widely believed that he will decline his $13 million player option. Where does that leave the Wizards?
If the decision to let Kuzma walk comes to fruition, the Wizards will have an extra $13 million on the table. This can be used to sign some vets to help mentor the young players. Kuz has won a championship and is all about winning so he may want to sign with a contender, but he can also stick around for the rebuild. I’m sure he would love the opportunity to be the main guy and help build up the team. He has not yet reached his 30s, so realistically, the Wizards may want to move on from him as well to go young. They can possibly do a sign-and-trade deal with a team that wants his services.
If Beal is traded and the Wizards let Kuzma walk, it means they are looking to start a rebuild toward the future. A fresh start may serve well as they have been a middle-of-the-pack team for several years now. The Wizards have only had 9 40+ win seasons over the last 18 seasons and have not made it passed the Conference Semifinals since the 1978-79 season. If the team decides to part ways with Beal and Kuzma, I don’t see why they would resign Kristaps Porzingis.
Where could the Washington Wizards trade Bradley Beal?
Some teams that are looking for Beal’s service are the Miami Heat and the Sacramento Kings amongst others. Beal has reportedly said he would waive his no-trade clause if he was traded to the Heat. This can potentially lead to a deal to acquire Tyler Herro, who is a good young player to be a part of their rebuild. But the Wizards can also work a deal to use Beal as a piece to move up in the upcoming draft.
With a loaded draft class coming in, trading with a team with a top pick seems ideal for a rebuilding phase. The Portland Trailblazers have the third overall pick and they have made it known they are committed to building a championship contender around Damian Lillard. A swap for Beal for the third pick and possibly Anfernee Simons can be a potential deal as well as players and money to even out the price of Beal’s supermax contract. Acquiring two top picks (3 & 8) in the draft and having a young player like Simons puts the Wizards in a great position for the future.
Ultimately, a deal involving Bradley Beal is looming over the league as he is one of the league’s premier scorers. The Washington Wizards will be freed up from his huge contract and can use that money for a young, well-rounded roster. Whatever deal that involves the Wizards trading away their star will lead to a rebuild.