Since the successful acquisition of Jimmy Butler in the 2019 NBA free agency, the Miami Heat have been active on the trade market, searching for their second superstar. The arrival of Butler would undeniably boost the Heat’s performance on both ends of the floor. Yet, with the emergence of numerous powerhouse teams in the league, having one legitimate NBA superstar won’t be enough to help the Heat fully dominate the Eastern Conference and win the NBA championship title in the 2019-20 NBA season.
In the past months, the Heat have been frequently linked to several NBA superstars who are expected to be available on the trade market before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline, including Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards. Despite suffering a huge disappointment in the 2018-19 NBA season, the Wizards still haven’t considered the idea of trading Beal and undergoing a full-scale rebuild. However, if Beal will let the October 31 deadline pass without signing the three-year, $111 million massive contract extension that they offered this summer, Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report thinks that the Wizards are better off trading the All-Star shooting guard while his trade value is still at its peak.
Once the Wizards start listening to offers for Bradley Beal, Buckley believes that the Heat must be “prepared to put everything on the table.”
“While Washington has him under contract for two more seasons, waiting can be a dangerous game. If he ever demands a trade, the Wizards would lose leverage instantly. If they take this to the wire, they would risk losing him for nothing. So if Washington becomes open to a deal at some point, Miami must be prepared to put everything on the table.”
When it comes to putting everything on the table, Buckley means that the Heat must be willing to include their three best trade assets – Justise Winslow, Tyler Herro, and Bam Adebayo – in the trade package that they would offer to the Wizards for Bradley Beal. In the proposed trade deal by Bleacher Report , the Heat would be sending Goran Dragic, Winslow, Herro, and Adebayo to the Wizards in exchange for Beal and Davis Bertans. The deal works on ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine.
Bradley Beal would be an incredible addition to the Heat, giving them a very reliable scoring option next to Jimmy Butler. Last season, Beal averaged 25.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.5 steals while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from beyond the arc. Beal won’t have a hard time making himself fit with Butler since he’s one of the few superstars in the league who could excel in an off-ball capacity.
Trading Bradley Beal would undeniably be a tough decision for the Wizards but if they finally decide to undergo a rebuilding process, acquiring young and promising talents like Justise Winslow, Tyler Herro, and Bam Adebayo would be a good start. Winslow, Herro, and Adebayo, together with Rui Hachimura and Thomas Bryant, could form the core of the next title-contending team that the Wizards will try to build in the post-John Wall and Bradley Beal era.