NBA Rumors: Grizzlies Could Acquire Bradley Beal Via 5-For-1 Trade, ‘Bleacher Report’ Suggests
Despite the Washington Wizards‘ commitment to hanging on to top scorer Bradley Beal instead of entering a full-scale rebuild, the star shooting guard has been mentioned in countless trade rumors since last year. His name has also popped up in multiple hypothetical trades, including a recently suggested deal that would allow the Memphis Grizzlies to acquire him for five players, including three promising youngsters and two future draft picks.
As explained on Tuesday by Bleacher Report‘s Greg Swartz in a list of trade ideas for all 30 NBA teams, the Grizzlies are already a strong candidate to make the playoffs, with rookie point guard Ja Morant leading the way in the backcourt. This, he added, could make Beal a worthwhile target for the rising team, as acquiring him could transform Memphis into consistent postseason contenders.
“Giving Memphis a core of Morant, Beal, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas makes the club a playoff lock with an incredibly bright future. Morant and Jackson look like future perennial All-Stars, and Beal is the NBA’s second-leading scorer already at age 26.”
In order to acquire Beal from the Wizards, Swartz suggested that the Grizzlies could surrender three young players — forwards Brandon Clarke and Justise Winslow and shooting guard Dillon Brooks — as well as the 2020 first-round pick they previously got from the Utah Jazz and their own first-round pick in the 2022 draft.
Bradley Beal got up on this slam?pic.twitter.com/j2oLq9wVNh
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) June 8, 2020
Talking about how each of these players could benefit the Wizards, Swartz wrote that Clarke and Brooks have put up good numbers for Memphis despite their relative youth. Clarke, who was Memphis’ second first-round pick last year after they selected Morant at No. 2 overall, is averaging 12 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 62.3 percent from the field as a reserve power forward. Brooks has also contributed significantly, having averaged 15.7 points as the Grizzlies’ starting shooting guard.
Although Winslow hasn’t suited up for the Grizzlies since he was acquired from the Miami Heat prior to the February trade deadline, the versatile 24-year-old forward has enjoyed a productive career since getting drafted 10th overall in 2015. Per Basketball-Reference, he averaged 12.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists for the Heat in 2018-19. His durability, however, might be a concern, as he saw action in only 11 games this season due to a variety of injuries.
At the moment, it’s unclear whether the Grizzlies have any actual interest in acquiring Beal. A number of other teams, including the Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, and New Orleans Pelicans, were rumored to have recently inquired about availability via trade.
