NBA Rumors: ‘Loads’ Of League Executives Think It’s Time For Wizards To Trade Bradley Beal
Ever since the 2019 NBA offseason, the Washington Wizards have been reminding everyone in the league that they have no intention of trading All-Star shooting guard Bradley Beal and undergoing a full-scale rebuild. The Wizards tried to stop the trade rumors surrounding Beal by giving him a contract extension before the start of the 2019-20 NBA season. Unfortunately, that didn’t work as Beal’s name continues to surface in various trade speculations.
Recently, Fred Katz of The Athletic, via Bleacher Report, asked the opinion of several people around the league regarding the ongoing situation between Beal and the Wizards. Katz revealed that “loads” of NBA executives think that the Wizards are better off trading the All-Star shooting guard this offseason. Opposing teams reportedly suggested that the Wizards should consider moving Beal for a trade package that includes young players and future draft picks to help them speed up the rebuilding process.
It’s hardly a surprise that plenty of league executives support the idea that the Wizards should trade Beal. He may currently be having the best season of his NBA career — averaging 30.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.2 steals while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from beyond the arc — and is expected to have his backcourt mate, John Wall, back next season. But right now, even with a fully healthy roster, the Wizards aren’t anywhere near the same level as Eastern Conference powerhouse teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and the Miami Heat.
If they don’t have any plan of making a major roster upgrade this offseason, it might be best for the Wizards to part ways with Beal instead of suffering another disappointing year. Instead of running it back next season, the Wizards should focus on the development of young players like Rui Hachimura, Thomas Bryant, and Troy Brown Jr., and start gathering assets for the future.
However, as of now, the Wizards don’t seem to have any plan of listening to their rival executives’ opinions about Beal. As Katz noted, when Beal signed the two-year, $72 million contract extension last summer, the Wizards were operating as if the All-Star shooting guard would re-sign after his contract expires in the summer of 2023. Also, though they are currently expected to miss the Eastern Conference Playoffs for the second consecutive year, Beal remains committed to the Wizards, telling them that he doesn’t have any intention of following in the footsteps of other superstars and demanding a trade this summer.
