Compare the haul: Bradley Beal vs. Damian Lillard

Wizards sent out:

• Bradley Beal
• Jordan Goodwin
• Isaiah Todd

Wizards received:

• Jordan Poole
• Patrick Baldwin Jr.
• Ryan Rollins
• Landry Shamet
• 2030 protected first-round pick (GS)
• six (6) second-round picks (Phoenix)
• four (4) first-round pick swaps (Phoenix)
• 2027 second-round pick (GS)

When it was first announced that the Wizards and Bradley Beal were working to find a trade, fans everywhere started drawing up packages including multiple first-round picks and young players that Washington could get back to jump-start their rebuild. Unfortunately for the Wizards faithful, they had to deal with Bradley Beal’s no-trade clause that made everything a lot tougher.

To make matters worse, Beal indicated that he would not waive his no-trade clause unless he was sent to the Phoenix Suns, whose asset drawer was a bit empty, to say the least. So when Beal was shipped out to Phoenix for a package built around Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, and a million second-round picks, most fans and media members were not overly impressed with the return.

It was hard to blame the Wizards in this situation solely for the fact that Beal had all the leverage in this situation, and if the team truly wanted to move him, they would have to be okay with a lackluster return.

Not receiving a single first-round pick (originally) for their franchise star was a tough pill to swallow but the Wizards made the most of it. 38-year-old Chris Paul was never gonna spend much time in Washington as the veteran wanted to play somewhere he could potentially win his first NBA championship. Enter the Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors, were in a fascinating spot, not only because of the Jordan Poole/Draymond Green situation, but they also had some financial issues they needed to work out. The Wizards played it smartly and ended up with a better haul for Paul than they did for Beal. Poole is the clear prize here, a 20ppg scorer who is still just 24 years old and only in the first year of his four-year extension.

Both Poole and the Wizards are in a good evaluation period for each other. Poole can come in, be a lead guy, score in bunches, continue to improve his game, and prove that he does not need Steph Curry and Klay Thompson to succeed. The Wizards, in turn, get a player who fits their rebuild timeline and is talented enough that you can evaluate whether he is best suited to being an important piece moving forward, or can serve as a stopgap for a few years, then become a new valuable trade piece.

Outside of Poole, the Wizards received a heavily protected 2030 first-round pick and six second-round picks. The pick in 2030 is top-20 protected and may never convey, but it’s nice to be able to say you got one. All the seconds may not sound very glamorous, but they are always useful as incentive pieces to move up in the draft. Do not sleep on the swaps either. Curry, Thompson, and Green are all at the back end of their career and will have to retire at some point.

Baldwin Jr. was a first-round pick just a year ago and was a projected top 5 pick after leaving high school. At 6’9 with a smooth jumper, he is worth a flyer. Rollins played well in the summer league, showing he can run an offense and score.

The last piece, Shamet, is the ‘to be determined’ piece as he is likely to be flipped for more compensation before the season ends. Teams can never have enough shooting, and Shamet will be able to provide that for a team in the hunt.

That no-trade clause for Beal made getting a massive haul a pipedream, but all in all the Wiz made out pretty well.