NBA Rumors: Bradley Beal Could Be ‘Next Big Guy’ On The Trade Market, Per ‘The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor
The 2019 NBA offseason gave birth to new powerhouse teams in the league after several NBA superstars chose to team up with the goal of winning the NBA championship title. All the big names on the free agency market may have already signed new contracts, but there are still plenty of blockbuster trade deals that could take place before or during the 2019-20 NBA season. As of now, one of the players who has been frequently mentioned in trade rumors is Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards.
According to Metro USA, Kevin O’Connor and Bill Simmons of The Ringer recently discussed the likelihood that Bradley Beal will part ways with the Wizards before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline. The Wizards decided to offer Beal a three-year, $111 million contract extension with the hope of addressing the rumors circulating about his long-term future in Washington. However, instead of stopping it, the trade speculations involving Beal heated up after the All-Star shooting guard decided to take some time to think about signing the contract extension.
Despite the strong efforts from the Wizards to convince him to stay, The Ringer‘s Kevin O’Connor strongly believes that Bradley Beal will be the “next big guy” on the trade market. Beal may be able to establish another incredible performance as he did last year, but with the current talents on their roster, the Wizards may still have a hard time earning a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. If the Wizards struggle early in the 2019-20 NBA season, there is a strong chance for Beal to follow the footsteps of other NBA superstars and demand a trade from Washington.
I teamed up with @davidaldridgedc, @FredKatz & @BenStandig to discuss what really matters from the @WashWizards schedule release: Bradley Beal's patience, the expected struggles, the games that interest us, if it's worth pursuing Carmelo Anthony & more…https://t.co/OkiXOhvN0Y
— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) August 13, 2019
The Ringer‘s Kevin O’Connor and Bill Simmons mentioned several NBA teams who could express strong interest in adding Bradley Beal once the Wizards officially makes him available on the trading block. These include the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, and the Boston Celtics. Of all the three NBA teams, Matt Burke of Metro USA believes that the Celtics could offer the best trade package to the Wizards in exchange for Beal.
“The Celtics still have the most chips of any contender to put on the table when it comes to a prospective Beal trade, but they run the risk of Beal walking in free agency in 2021. The days of superstar players signing a longterm extension immediately following a trade to a new team are long gone, so it’s likely that Beal would take the Kyrie Irving route and play out his current deal and test free agency.”
Bradley Beal may have not shown any sign that he’s no longer happy in Washington, but at this point in his NBA career, he will be better off playing for a legitimate title contender than wasting his prime on a mediocre team like the Wizards. Expect more rumors to swirl around Beal until he signs a contract extension with the Wizards.
