The crazy 2019 NBA offseason featured several NBA superstars leaving their respective teams either via trade or free agency to chase for an NBA championship title somewhere else. Though most of the big names on the free agency market have already found a new home, there are still plenty of players who are expected to be moved before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline. As of now, one of the NBA superstars being frequently mentioned in various trade rumors is Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards.
According to Zach Lowe of ESPN , Bradley Beal is expected to be the top trade target of legitimate title contenders who are aiming to build their own “Big Three” in the 2019-20 NBA season.
“The name that will come up over and over, in connection with every realistic destination, is Bradley Beal. Beal is really good. He just turned 26. He can thrive off the ball. Beal would bring minimal skill overlap to most preexisting star pairings.”
With the years he spent playing alongside John Wall in Washington, Bradley Beal has learned how to excel in an off-ball capacity, making him a great addition to NBA teams who already have two NBA superstars on their roster like the Los Angeles Clippers. Though the Clippers gave up most of their trade assets to acquire Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder, Lowe suggested that they could still offer a trade package including Patrick Beverley, Montrezl Harrell, Landry Shamet, and Mfiondu Kabengele to the Wizards in exchange for Beal.
“The Clippers don’t have the draft assets for such a trade, but I wonder how they would feel about a theoretical package of Patrick Beverley, Montrezl Harrell, Landry Shamet and Mfiondu Kabengele — leaving a thin and aging roster around Beal, Leonard and George.”
After spending his NBA career on a mediocre team like the Wizards, it’s definitely interesting to see Bradley Beal finally being given the opportunity to play for a legitimate title contender like the Clippers. The “Big Three” of Beal, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George would undeniably make the Clippers the No. 1 favorite to fully dominate the deep Western Conference and win the NBA championship title in the 2019-20 NBA season.
Meanwhile, acquiring a young and promising talent like Landry Shamet in the potential Bradley Beal blockbuster deal would be helpful for the Wizards, especially if they decide to undergo a full-scale rebuild. However, Shamet, together with two veteran role players, won’t likely be enough to convince the Wizards to send Beal to Los Angeles. If ever the Wizards finally consider making Beal available on the trading block, they are highly expected to demand a combination of young players and future draft picks from interested teams.
According to a previous The Inquisitr article, another NBA team who could express strong interest in acquiring Bradley Beal is the New Orleans Pelicans. Compared to the Clippers, the Pelicans have a much better collection of trade assets. As the report noted, the Pelicans could explore trading Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, E’Twaun Moore, a 2020 first-round pick, and a 2021 first-round pick to the Wizards in exchange for Beal.