NBA Rumors: Bradley Beal Could Be Best Trade Target For Mavericks In 2020 Offseason, Per ‘Bleacher Report’
Despite various rumors linking him to teams such as the Denver Nuggets, a recent article suggested Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal’s best possible destination — if traded during the offseason — might be the Dallas Mavericks.
As explained Wednesday morning by Bleacher Report, Beal might be the best player the Mavericks could target in the event the team doesn’t emerge as a top contender to sign Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in free agency in the summer of 2021. The outlet also stressed that the 27-year-old could even be an “awfully useful option” to offer to the Bucks in the event Dallas has to trade for Antetokounmpo instead of adding him as a free agent.
On paper, Beal had a career-best season for the Wizards, averaging 30.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.2 steals and shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from three-point range, per Basketball Reference.
However, Bleacher Report opined he might have been a “touch overtaxed” as the No. 1 option on a weak team, considering how he didn’t shoot as well, turned the ball over more often, and was seen as playing lackluster defense despite posting the best scoring numbers of his career.
With the above issues in mind, the two-time All-Star could potentially thrive in Dallas and still be an elite-level scorer without having to sacrifice other aspects of his game. Currently, the Mavs have two 20-point-per-game scorers in Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, and rumors have suggested the organization is making offseason plans to acquire a third star player — or at least trade up for a lottery pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
As noted, Beal could also benefit from playing in the same starting lineup as Doncic, as the 21-year-old Slovenian could generate “laughably clean” scoring opportunities for the erstwhile Wizards standout. This could create problems for defenses, as they may likely struggle to contain Doncic without leaving Beal open for an easy two or three points.
Aside from his projected role as a secondary scorer and playmaker on an already talented Mavericks team, the publication wrote Beal could help the club improve its free-throw attempt rate, which ranked 12th out of 30 teams in the 2019-20 season.
“The offense that set the record for scoring efficiency last season would get significantly better, meaning league-average defense would assure the Mavs legitimate contender status,” Bleacher Report concluded.
“Beal would get the perfect role on a rising superpower, and the Mavs would get another star to electrify the offense. Not bad.”
