NBA Trade Rumors: Bradley Beal, Jrue Holiday Would Be ‘Excellent Third Wheel’ To Durant & Irving In Brooklyn
The arrival of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving last summer has undeniably turned the Brooklyn Nets from an average playoff contender into a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference. Though they are yet to see their roster at full strength, rumors are circulating that the Nets are already planning to add a third star in the 2020 NBA offseason to complement Durant and Irving. In past months, the Nets have already been linked to several superstars who are expected to be available on the trade market this summer, including Jrue Holiday of the New Orleans Pelicans and Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards.
The Pelicans and the Wizards have yet to show any strong indication that they are planning to move Holiday or Beal this offseason, but if one of them becomes available, the Nets would likely be on the top of the list of their potential suitors.
According to Andrew Hughes of Fansided’s Hardwood Houdini, Holiday and Beal would be an “excellent third wheel” to Durant and Irving in the 2020-21 NBA season.
“One of the popular rumors involves Sean Marks supplementing his star duo of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant with a third dynamic scorer and play-maker in the starting lineup. The two names brought up most frequently are Bradley Beal and Jrue Holiday. Truly, either would be an excellent third wheel in a Nets offense that has still yet to reach its maximum potential due to the injury bug. Durant, of course, has yet to suit up for Brooklyn after tearing his achilles last June in the NBA Finals, while Irving missed more than half the season with various ailments.”
Acquiring either Holiday or Beal would enable the Nets to form their own “Big Three” and make them a more dangerous team in the Eastern Conference next season. Holiday may be playing the same position as Irving, but in the years he played with the likes of Rajon Rondo and Lonzo Ball, he proved that he could also efficiently play at the shooting guard position. Holiday wouldn’t only give the Nets a very reliable scoring option, but also a great perimeter defender.
Meanwhile, putting Beal with Durant and Irving could make the Nets the best offensive team in the NBA next season. Before the league suspension due to the spread of coronavirus, Beal was ranked as the second-best scorer in the NBA, averaging 30.5 points on 45.5 percent shooting from the field and 35.3 percent from beyond the arc. After spending most of his professional basketball career with John Wall in Washington, Beal has learned how to excel in an off-ball capacity, making him an ideal fit alongside ball-dominant superstars like Durant and Irving.
