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Bradley Beal Trade Rumors: Insiders Expect Deal in Offseason, Not at Deadline
February 4, 2021
Multiple NBA executives believe Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal isn't likely to be traded until the offseason at the earliest.
According to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, there is "no indication" that Beal has asked to be traded despite the obvious signs of frustration he has shown during a season in which he has put up huge numbers only for the Wizards to post a 5-13 record.
One Western Conference executive told Bontemps: "I think it would have to be pressure from him and his agent to do so, and it sounds to me like that won't happen until after the season, if at all."
Another Western Conference exec told Bontemps there is "zero" chance of the Wizards dealing Beal before the trade deadline.
The 27-year-old Beal is a two-time All-Star in the middle of his best individual season to date.
Beal is currently the NBA's leading scorer with 34.8 points per game to go along with averages of 5.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.2 steals. Beal is shooting 48.5 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from beyond the arc as well.
After finishing ninth in the Eastern Conference last season, the Wizards will have hoped to push their way into the playoffs by acquiring Russell Westbrook from the Houston Rockets during the offseason in exchange for John Wall.
Westbrook has been productive, but the mix simply hasn't worked, and the Wizards' best bet may be to enter into a full rebuild in the near future.
If and when the Wizards make Beal available, he will be a highly sought-after commodity due to his elite scoring ability and the fact that he is firmly in the midst of his prime.
Also, Beal is signed through the 2022-23 season, so if a team acquires him during the offseason, it will have some time to get an extension done.
Regardless of whether the Wizards trade Beal this season or during the offseason, they figure to receive a massive return in the form of multiple draft picks and perhaps some promising young players as well.
Trading away Beal would be a massive step back for the Wizards initially, but it could help land them the pieces they need to be a contending team in the future.
Washington already has some young talent on the roster, including Deni Avdija and Rui Hachimura, plus it figures to have one of the top picks in the 2021 NBA draft.
When adding in all the draft capital the Wizards could secure in a Beal trade, they should soon have all the pieces they need to build a new foundation provided they ultimately decide to go through with moving Beal.