NBA Rumors: Sending Bradley Beal To Warriors Would Be ‘Best Trade’ For Wizards In 2020 Offseason
In his recent article, Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report created a list of the “best trade” every team can actually make in the 2020 offseason. Surprisingly for the Washington Wizards, it isn’t a deal that would make them more competitive in the Eastern Conference in the 2020-21 NBA season, but the potential trade that would mark the start of the rebuilding process. According to Hughes, the “best trade” that the Wizards could make this fall is to send All-Star shooting guard Bradley Beal to the Golden State Warriors.
In the proposed scenario, Beal would be heading to Golden State in exchange for a package that includes Andrew Wiggins, Eric Paschall, and the No. 2 overall selection in the 2020 NBA Draft. Though they are expected to run it back with the same roster next year, Hughes explains why trading Beal to the Warriors would be the best move for Washington.
“Andrew Wiggins’ salary is an albatross, but Wall’s is already dragging the Wizards’ prospects down. The theory here is that the Wizards are going to be bad regardless and that getting a high lottery pick and an all-rookie first-teamer is worth the price of acknowledging this is a rebuild—albeit one made more difficult by Wall’s contract. The alternative is holding on to Beal, losing games and watching his value diminish over time. He’s appealing as a trade asset now because his contract runs through 2022-23. The longer Washington waits, the less Beal’s acquiring team will offer.”
If they don’t plan to build a roster around their explosive backcourt duo that can contend for the championship, the deal would make a lot of sense for the Wizards. Instead of being stuck in mediocrity, they would be receiving assets that could help them rebuild their roster in the post-Beal and John Wall era. Wiggins and Paschall could join Rui Hachimura and Thomas Bryant to form the new core.
With the No. 2 overall pick, the Wizards would have the opportunity to find an immediate backcourt replacement for Beal by selecting either Anthony Edwards or LaMelo Ball in the 2020 NBA Draft. Though he has already said on numerous occasions that he wants to finish his career in Washington, being traded away from the Wizards might end up being the best thing that could happen to Beal’s career. Instead of wasting his talent on a mediocre team, teaming up with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond would give Beal a realistic chance of winning multiple championship titles.
