Bradley Beal’s status with the Washington Wizards remains in a constant state of flux. At the moment, he has remained as loyal as possible to the franchise and insists that he will not demand a trade. That said – the front office has very clearly failed him up to this point.
Last year, Beal was snubbed when it came to a seemingly inevitable All-NBA Team nod due in large part to how bad Washington was. The 27-year-old posted career highs with 30.5 points and 6.5 assists per outing, but it wasn’t enough.
In the process, Beal became the first player since 1982 to average 30 points per game and still not make the cut. When it happened to Adrian Dantley more than 25 years ago, there were only two All-NBA teams, not three like today.
Moreover, Beal also now owns the highest points per game average for a player left off All-NBA since Bob McAdoo put up 31.1 points per outing back in 1975.
If the Wizards decide to grant Beal a reprieve, there are two very legitimate potential suitors for his services.
As noted by Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report, the Atlanta Hawks would make a lot of sense. In the proposed deal, Washington would get Cam Reddish, De’Andre Hunter, Kevin Huerter, Clint Capela, and a top 10 protected 2021 first-round pick. Atlanta, obviously, would get Beal.
It is a deal that would instantly catapult the Hawks into the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference, all while providing the Wizards with assets to proceed with a rebuild.
Truly special. https://t.co/vwbPwzY73j
— Game 7 (@game7__) November 29, 2020
The Golden State Warriors are another team to watch in the Bradley Beal Sweepstakes. Klay Thompson’s unfortunate injury has left the franchise with two options: fold up shop for yet another year of Stephen Curry’s prime or get him some help.
If the front office opts for the latter scenario, Beal is a logical target. The only way Golden State would be able to swing this is by packaging a combination of future picks, James Wiseman and Andrew Wiggins, while simultaneously agreeing to absorb some bad contracts. But for a player of Beal’s stature, you do what you need to do.
At the moment, Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard is saying all the right things about retaining Beal.
The lesson here: actions have consequences. https://t.co/aVhdqhCxfN
— Game 7 (@game7__) November 27, 2020
“He’s a tremendous human being,” he told Zach Lowe of ESPN recently. “He’s a tremendous player. He’s exactly what we want to have here with the Washington Wizards.”
Sheppard also unequivocally said, “Bradley Beal isn’t going anywhere,” during a recent press conference. That said – GMs have said similar things before and then traded away their star. It’s not exactly unheard of.
If Washington is offered a strong package, even if they don’t want to part with Beal, it may make more sense to start their inevitable rebuild now than when Beal unavoidably demands a trade and tanks his trade value down the line.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
