The Miami Heat have been pursuing Bradley Beal for years. Despite the Heat’s interest, the Washington Wizards guard has remained loyal to the franchise with hopes of winning there. He led the team to the playoffs after a slow start to the season. But now, the Wizards guard could be considering a move elsewhere.
According to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, Beal is reportedly considering making a trade request, at least around draft time.
With the 2021 NBA draft fast approaching, word has reached front offices around the league that Wizards All-Star guard Bradley Beal is considering requesting a trade prior to Thursday night’s event.
“He knows he has to make a decision before the draft,” one source with direct knowledge of Beal’s thinking told Bleacher Report. For the past year, people familiar with Beal’s dedicated relationship to the Wizards have consistently rebuffed the notion he had interest in playing elsewhere. Yet a second source close to Beal, when contacted by B/R, confirmed the situation is now fluid…
And if Beal were to seek a new team, he would do so only to land in an established winning environment, sources said
In addition to Miami, Fischer also reported that the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia 76ers are destinations that interest Beal. Still, we should be skeptical of this. Based on the reporting, this seems to be wishful thinking from those close to Beal and teams in pursuit. Until there’s a confirmed report or something from Beal himself, this may just be wishful thinking.
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Miami’s Potential Offer
But if Beal decides to request a trade, this will be the time to do it. The Wizards will likely seek a James Harden level return with multiple players, picks, and pick swaps. Out of all the potential destinations, Miami has the least assets. Miami would likely use Tyler Herro as the headline for a potential offer. Unfortunately, that may not be enough. Additionally, the Stepien rule prevents Miami from trading picks in consecutive years. In order to add picks in a potential offer, Miami would have to get Oklahoma City to unprotect one of their picks. Other destinations like Golden State and Boston could offer more.
There’s plenty of teams outside of Beal’s preferred destinations who could jump in. The New Orleans Pelicans are desperately seeking help for Zion Williamson and could use another elite talent. The Portland Trailblazers are trying to build a contending team around Damian Lillard, who may also request a trade. Beal, who will likely enter free agency next year, will likely want to go to a winning destination if he leaves. So it’s possible teams could be pursuing a rental. Still, we will watch and see how this situation plays out with the NBA Draft. This could be an interesting NBA offseason.
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