Bradley Beal Trade Rumors
July 24, 2021 8:00 pm EDT
There’s recent reports that Wizards star Bradley Beal is considering a trade request prior to Thursday’s NBA draft. It was only a matter of time before Beal got tired of losing in Washington, and you can expect majority of the league to put together trade packages. Beal is one of those players who can put a team over the top and produce NBA titles.
With that said, here’s five teams that will have the strongest chances of landing Beal this offseason.
Golden State Warriors – As I said in my Damian Lillard and Ben Simmons articles, the Warriors don’t have time to sit on draft picks and young players. The championship window is now with Steph Curry getting older and Klay Thompson coming off major surgeries. The Warriors have the seventh and the 14th picks in the upcoming draft, as well as young players like James Wiseman, Eric Paschall and Jordan Bell. It’s no coincidence the Wizards want a decision before the draft. The addition of Beal possibly makes the Warriors the favorites to win the title this upcoming season.
Philadelphia 76ers – The 76ers are eager to shakeup the roster and find a better fit around star big Joel Embiid. Beal is the shooter who better spaces the floor and makes Philly a lot more dangerous. The 76ers have a first round pick in the upcoming draft and a star point guard in Ben Simmons they could headline a package. The 76ers also have young players in Tyrese Maxey, Matisse Thybulle and Shake Milton to close the deal if needed. A duo of Embiid and Beal moves the 76ers up the totem pole in what’s become a wide open Eastern Conference.
Boston Celtics – The Celtics have been looking to swing for the fences and never seem to pull the trigger. That should change with a legit franchise player in Jayson Tatum around. The Celtics don’t have a first round pick in this years draft and their young players aren’t as attractive as other teams. However, the Celtics can headline a package with Jaylen Brown, and that puts them in the conversation. Brown is a quality two-way player and is still only 24 years old. I would not sleep on the Celtics in these discussions.
Miami Heat – The Heat have been short on draft capital and don’t have a lot of intriguing young players. I’m not sure how much Tyler Herro, KZ Okpala and Precious Achiuwa move the needle. With that said, Beal has been linked to Miami the last couple of years, he went to school in Florida and his relationship with Bam Adebayo is strong. We also can’t ignore that Beal has a player option the following year, so he has leverage and can shrink candidates by giving the Wizards a list of teams he wants. Teams will be hesitant to trade for a guy who isn’t guaranteed more than one year. That would open the door for a team such as the Heat.
Oklahoma City Thunder – The Oklahoma City Thunder are in rebuild mode, but as I’ve listed in previous articles, they can get whoever they want if they want him bad enough. OKC has three first round picks in this years draft alone. There’s simply no team in the league that can compete with the Thunder in terms of draft capital. And while I’m sure the Thunder are comfortable playing the long game, a pairing of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Beal is interesting and could work. There’s a good chance the Thunder sit this one out, but they have to be mentioned because the treasure chest of draft picks.
