NBA Rumors: Bulls Could Acquire Bradley Beal For Package Centered On Zach Lavine, Per ‘Pippen Ain’t Easy’
After suffering another huge disappointment in the 2018-19 NBA season, rumors started to circulate once again around All-Star shooting guard Bradley Beal and his future with the Washington Wizards. Upon hearing the rumors, the Wizards immediately made a move and offered Beal a three-year, $111 million contract extension. Unfortunately, as of now, Beal is yet to decide whether he will sign the contract extension or not, heating up the speculations that he could soon follow the footsteps of other NBA superstars and demand a trade from the Wizards.
Assuming that Bradley Beal and the Wizards finally decide to go on separate directions, Willie Lutz of Fansided’s Pippen Ain’t Easy believes that the Chicago Bulls should grab the opportunity to bring a new “it guy” to the Windy City. At 26, Beal still fits the timeline of the Bulls’ young core. Beal won’t immediately make the Bulls the No. 1 favorite to win the NBA championship title but adding him to the core of Coby White, Otto Porter Jr., Lauri Markannen, and Wendell Carter Jr. would definitely strengthen their chance of returning to the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
“Beal’s creativity and shot-making strengths are pulling him into the upper echelon of NBA talent as he enters his eighth season of basketball trending upward; spending his prime contending is probably a better use of his career than sticking around for the Wizards’ rebuild,” Lutz said.
“Additionally, if we’re to believe that Jim Boylen is approaching this offense as a more creative, fast-moving system, Beal is a perfect fit. He’s great at creating space and beating heavy-footed defenders to the rim. Evaluating this roster head to toe, it’s easy to see how Bradley Beal puts this team close to the top in the Eastern Conference.”
Say hello to Bradley Beal’s and Kamiah Adams’ second child, Braylon Elias Beal, who was born yesterday, the couple announced on Instagram: https://t.co/lmB1D1bgOI pic.twitter.com/8goFvEasGH
— . (@FredKatz) August 30, 2019
In the proposed trade deal by Fansided’s Pippen Ain’t Easy, the Bulls would be sending a trade package including Zach Lavine, Chandler Hutchinson, a 2020 first-round pick, and a 2022 first-round pick to the Wizards in exchange for Beal. The trade works on ESPN‘s NBA Trade Machine.
The deal is undeniably a no-brainer for the Bulls. Aside from adding a legitimate NBA superstar on their roster, trading Zach Lavine for Bradley Beal would also give the Bulls the salary cap flexibility to chase big names in the summer of 2021. The 2021 NBA free agency will be loaded with superstars including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, LeBron James, and Victor Oladipo.
As of now, the Wizards haven’t shown any indication that they are planning to trade Bradley Beal and undergo a full-scale rebuild. However, things are expected to dramatically change once they struggle earlier in the 2019-20 NBA season.
