Giannis Antetokounmpo Dominant as Bucks Rout Wizards After Otto Porter Trade

The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Washington Wizards 148-129 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Wednesday night.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for the Bucks with 43 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals, while Bradley Beal had 30 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals in a losing effort for the Wizards.

Milwaukee opened the game with 50 first-quarter points. ESPN Stats & Info notes that was the Bucks' most points in a single quarter since November 1991 and the third-most in team history. According to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington, the 148 points are the most the Wizards have allowed in a non-overtime game since 1990.

Wizards Must Deal Bradley Beal After Otto Porter Trade

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Washington reportedly traded Otto Porter Jr. on Wednesday. With plenty of time remaining before Thursday's trade deadline, the team should seriously consider exploring Beal's trade market.

It's been quite the week in the nation's capital.

All-Star point guard John Wall—who was already out for the 2018-19 season after undergoing left heel surgery in December—ruptured his Achilles after slipping and falling at home back on Jan. 29. The injury wasn't discovered until Tuesday, when it was determined he is expected to miss 11 to 15 months.

In other words, the 2019-20 season already has a bleak outlook in Washington.

Then Wednesday, the Wizards traded Porter to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. That allowed Washington to get out from underneath the potential two years and $55.9 million remaining on Porter's contract. Meanwhile, both Parker and Portis could become free agents after this season, albeit restricted in Porter's case.

That makes it the perfect time to undergo a roster overhaul.

A potential Beal trade could net Washington quite the return. The 25-year-old guard is in the midst of a career year, averaging 24.8 points on 46.9 percent shooting, 5.1 assists and 5.1 rebounds. And the two years and $55.7 million remaining on his contract is more than reasonable for a player of his caliber.

Meanwhile, his future in Washington has come into question this season.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Beal was involved in a "volatile practice" in November that featured verbal altercations between players. Among the things said during that practice was an "exasperated" Beal telling team officials, "I've been dealing with this for seven years."

Ben Golliver of the Washington Post speculated in the wake of Wall's latest injury that Beal could request a trade. After all, injuries have limited Wall to just 73 games over the past two seasons, and his contract (four years, $169 million) could make it tough for the organization to fill out a truly competitive roster—especially next season.

Beal has played a major role in helping the Wizards reach the postseason in four of the past five seasons. Losing five of their last six has dropped them to 22-32, four games back of the eighth seed. In other words, they have some work to do if they are going to salvage their season.

Even if they do make the postseason, this is a core that has not advanced past the second round when healthy. With Wall once again sidelined and Washington unlikely to have home-court advantage, the odds are stacked against Beal and Co. to make noise in April—if they are even playing.

By the time the 2020-21 season rolls around, a 30-year-old Wall will be coming off three straight injury-plagued seasons and Beal will only have one year remaining on his deal. Who knows if that will mark the end of the duo's time together.

Keeping Beal around would allow the Wizards to remain somewhat relevant during Wall's absence. But trading him by Thursday afternoon would be in the best interest of both sides.

What's Next

Both teams will be back in action Friday night. Milwaukee (40-13) will hit the road for a tilt with the Dallas Mavericks, whereas Washington (22-32) will return home to host the Cleveland Cavaliers.