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The Wizards’ longest-tenured player may have suited up for them for the last time.
With next Thursday’s 2023 NBA Draft fast approaching, rumors have been running rampant about which players could be on the move — with one of the headliners being Washington guard Bradley Beal, as new Wizards president Michael Winger could be on the brink of blowing up the roster.
The Athletic reported Wednesday that Beal and the Wizards “intend to work together” on a trade to a contender if Winger does indeed go ahead with a rebuild.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, if Beal is moved, the trade might not be the typical NBA blockbuster involving a star player because he has a no-trade clause, giving him control over where he goes.
“If the Wizards and Bradley Beal come to a decision that he should be traded because they are going to start a rebuild, I think people will be stunned at what the price could be,” Windhorst said on “Get Up” Wednesday morning. “You could potentially see a ‘bargain’ star trade.”
In the modern NBA, when stars are on the trade market they typically go for exorbitant prices; look no further than the Rudy Gobert trade, where he was dealt from the Jazz to the Timberwolves for five players and five draft picks.
Beal’s value in the league as a scoring guard is significantly higher than that of an aging big man with a limited offensive game.
The 11-year veteran, who has averaged 22.1 points per game in his career, earned All-NBA third team honors in 2021, when he averaged a career-best 31.3 points per game.
But Beal’s contract and injury history could impact the return in a potential trade.
The 29-year-old guard has the second-largest contract in the NBA behind only newly minted NBA champion Nikola Jokic, averaging more than $50 million per year for the next five seasons, which includes a player option on his last year for $57 million.
That type of money is reserved for perennial All-NBA caliber players, and so far in Beal’s career he has not been quite at that level.
Beal also hasn’t been the most reliable star in the league in terms of health.
He failed to play more than 60 games in each of the last four seasons, including a career-low of 40 games in 2021-22 due to a wrist injury.
Taking into consideration that Beal turns 30 in two weeks and his contract will end during the tail-end of his prime, it behooves any team who wants a swing at the All-Star to take a really close look at his medical history.
The Philadelphia 76ers would be an intriguing destination for Beal.
The departure of James Harden seems imminent after his flameout in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics, and the team certainly will have both cap space and a need for a top-tier scorer if he leaves.
Before the 2022 NBA trade deadline, Sixers center Embiid was reportedly “pushing really hard” for the team to acquire Beal before ultimately getting Harden from Brooklyn, according to The Ringer’s Bill Simmons.
“Embiid really wanted Beal because he felt like he was a better fit and was pushing, pushing, pushing,” Simmons said on “The Bill Simmons Podcast.”
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