5 Unexplored Trade Destinations for Bradley Beal
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There’s no other way of saying it - Bradley Beal needs to leave Washington. I mean, the guy is putting his heart and soul into every single game he plays and it’s just not enough. Yes Russell Westbrook is out, yes a lot of their team is unavailable to play right now, but they weren’t winning even before that. Beal is having another All-Star season, but might not make it once again because his team is terrible. He’s committed his entire career to the Wizards organization and outside of a couple of years of decent playoff appearances, they’ve done nothing.
Scott Brooks kept him in the game for the seemingly entire second half last night, despite the fact that they were losing by what seemed like a million points. Either Brooks genuinely thought Beal could will the Wizards back into it, or he was just desperately trying to save his job (which should very much be in jeopardy at the moment). Regardless, the fact of the matter is that Beal should walk into that front office and demand to be traded. He’s too good not to be winning basketball games, and he cares way too much as can be seen by his facial expression after every loss. If this were to happen, though, the question then becomes where would he be traded?
Utah Jazz
The Jazz are the best team in the NBA right now in terms of record and are currently on a 10 game win streak. Donovan Mitchell is playing great basketball, Rudy Gobert is looking to prove Shaquille O’Neal wrong, and the rest of their team is made up of a bunch of role players who play their role to a tee. They also currently let up the least amount of points per game. This means by adding Bradley Beal, they not only raise their offensive ceiling, but their defense is so good that his struggles on that end of the ball shouldn’t affect them too much. In reality, the Jazz may be playing great basketball right now, but they have a lot of superstars to go through if they want to make a run in the playoffs. The best way to beat a superstar duo is to try and form one of your own.
Denver Nuggets
While the trade does say “FAILED”, that’s only because Bol Bol hasn’t been signed for long enough to be traded. If this trade were made past the date listed (February 22) then this trade would be able to go through in terms of matching salary. This trade works out pretty well for both sides, except for the fact that the Nuggets would be taking the “all offense, no defense” approach that has failed other teams in the past. Nikola Jokic has been playing at an MVP level this season, and the emergence of Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray has really shown as well. Despite this, they still have to go through powerhouse teams like the Clippers and Lakers on their way to an NBA championship. Just like was mentioned about the Jazz, the only way to compete with superstars is to have a bunch of your own, and Beal is just that.
Indiana Pacers
This one seems odd to think about because the Pacers are commonly associated with a team that’s very “middle of the pack”. However, they currently sit at third in the Eastern Conference with an 11-7 record. Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon are both playing like All-Stars this year, and they have the assets to get this trade done. They also recently traded for Caris LeVert who, despite being out for likely the remainder of the season, is a great piece to help build a great team around. Adding Beal to this mix not only makes them a better team right now but exponentially raises their ceiling as a team going forward. Beal, although not nearly the defender Oladipo is, is a much better offensive weapon than V.O. He could help make the Pacers legit contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Dallas Mavericks
I guess the point of this article is slowly becoming “who can create the next offensive juggernaut” because this team would be yet another terrible defensive squad. The Mavericks haven’t lived up to the hype thus far this season, sitting at 8-10 at the moment. Kristaps Porzingis did just return to the floor, but regardless, people have very high expectations for Luka Doncic now. Adding Beal to this roster does, as mentioned, hurt their defense even more, but it would give Rick Carlisle another dangerous weapon to work with.
New York Knicks
As weird as it is to say, the Knicks haven’t actually been that bad this year. They’re currently 8-11 and sit at eight in the Eastern Conference. On top of that, they also let up the least amount of points per game in the league, so if any team could afford to lose some defense it would literally be them, right? Now trading for Beal by no means makes this team a title contender, but it would make them pretty likely to make the playoff, and if there's one thing that stands true in the NBA it’s that the Knicks have been desperate to bring in a star and make the playoffs in recent years. With the hiring of Tom Thibodeau and the emergence of Julius Randle, maybe it’s time they finally make a splash.
Would you like to see Beal traded to your favorite team? Comment down below what that trade would look like! Which one of these trades did you like the best? Let us know!
