If Giannis Antetokounmpo Signs Supermax, Bradley Beal Would Be Top ‘Potentially Gettable Star’ This Offseason
Milwaukee Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to be one of the most highly-coveted superstars on the trade market in the 2020 offseason. However, since they got eliminated by the Miami Heat in the second round of the 2020 Playoffs, Antetokounmpo has been telling everyone in the league that he has no intention of leaving the Bucks. Luckily, even if Antetokounmpo doesn’t become available on the trading block, teams that are in dire need of additional star power will still have other interesting choices this fall, including All-Star shooting guard Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards.
Compared to Antetokounmpo, Beal has more reason to leave his current team in the 2020 offseason. Even if John Wall returns 100 percent healthy and immediately regains his All-Star form, nobody is expecting the Wizards to fully dominate the Eastern Conference and win the NBA championship title in the 2020-21 NBA season. If Antetokounmpo agrees to ink the massive contract extension that the Bucks are planning to offer, Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report sees Beal replacing him as the top “potentially gettable star” this fall.
“If Giannis signs that supermax, Beal would immediately ascend to the top of the ‘potentially gettable star’ list, driving up the price and making it harder than ever for the Wizards to stick to their guns.”
Beal may not as good as Antetokoumpo, but he would still be an incredible addition for any legitimate title contenders that want to boost their chances of bringing home the Larry O’Brien Trophy next year. Aside from being a very reliable scoring option, Beal is also a great playmaker, perimeter defender, and an elite three-point shooter. This season, he established another incredible performance, 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, per ESPN.
Though he’s not an MVP-caliber player like Antetokounmpo, Beal might actually be a better acquisition for legitimate title contenders that already have one or two alpha males on their roster. In the years he’s spent with Wall in Washington, Beal has learned how to excel in an off-ball capacity, making him the ideal target for a team with ball-dominant superstars.
With his performance this year, teams definitely wouldn’t think twice before paying the king’s ransom just to acquire him from the Wizards. In a potential blockbuster deal involving Beal, the Wizards could demand a package that includes young players and multiple first-round picks. In the past months, several teams have expressed interest in trading for Beal, including the Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, and the New Orleans Pelicans.
