The Washington Wizards were very active ahead of the NBA trade deadline shipping out multiple veterans in exchange for a new mix of incoming veterans, young players and draft compensation.
Washington made plenty of noise dealing Kyle Kuzma, Patrick Baldwin and Jonas Valanciunas at the deadline. In turn, the Wizards landed multiple new faces including Khris Middleton, Marcus Smart, AJ Johnson, and Colby Jones.
General manager Will Dawkins proved he's not scared to make moves, even if it results in a rebuilding team adding seasoned players. As a result, it made sense when reports surfaced that the Wizards GM was open to a reunion with a fan favorite player ahead of the deadline.
Wizards were open to Bradley Beal reunion at deadline
Bradley Beal's time in Washington came to an end two offseason ago when the former lottery pick was dealt to the Phoenix Suns in a blockbuster trade that many thought could be the missing piece to get the Suns over the hump in the Western Conference.
Since Beal joined Phoenix, things haven't gone as planned and the team even pivoted to removing the former superstar out of the starting lineup. As the trade deadline approached, reports heated up about the Suns pursuit of Jimmy Butler, which ultimately would have led to the departure of Beal in any potential deal.
The problem? Beal signed a supermax extension with the Wizards and in the deal, he and his agent negotiated a no-trade clause that permitted him to choose his landing spot in any potential deal.
According to multiple reports, Miami was uninterested in the Florida product and the guard had no interest in uprooting his family once again to play anywhere else, especially not for a team that wouldn't be in position to contend for a championship anytime soon.
As a result, the Suns scanned the league looking for teams to take on the contract of Beal that could have interested the 31-year-old as a landing spot. And based off a report from ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the Wizards were one of the few teams that were interested in a deal that would land Beal back in D.C.
"Of all the teams Phoenix canvassed, sources said only the Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks would consider taking on Beal if he'd waive his no-trade clause to go there."Brian Windhorst
Although a deal never came to fruition, it's not totally shocking to see the Wizards be willing to land Beal in a deal. Dawkins has made it clear he values veterans to mentor the team's young core, and Beal means a lot to the organization.
Whether the deal would have led to a buyout agreement, or just a mentorship down the back stretch of the season and to help the star find his next spot in the offseason, any deal for Beal would have took fans of the Wizards back down memory lane in one of the worst seasons in franchise history.