NBA Rumors: Denver Nuggets Could Go All-In For Wizards Superstar Bradley Beal Next Summer, Per ‘Metro USA’
Despite not having major changes on their roster this summer, the Denver Nuggets are still considered as one of the top contenders in the deep Western Conference in the 2019-20 NBA season. However, their current road to the NBA Finals is expected to be tougher compared to last year. The Golden State Warriors may have weakened after losing Kevin Durant in the 2019 NBA free agency period, but plenty of teams in the Western Conference have tremendously improved, including the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers.
According to Matt Burke of Metro USA, once Nuggets General Manager Arturas Karnisovas realizes that their roster is only “runner-up material,” they may consider trading for another superstar before the February NBA trade deadline or in the summer of 2020. As Burke noted, one of the potential trade targets for the Nuggets is Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards.
“The Nuggets are the third team here that could find themselves at a crossroads at this year’s deadline or next summer. Denver is known for its depth, but GM Arturas Karnisovas may soon realize that this league still rewards teams that build star-heavy superteams. Karnisovas could look to swing a Thunder – Clippers Paul George – like deal with Washington if the Nuggets look like they’re still runner-up material this season.”
The Nuggets are indeed capable of exploring a similar deal that the Los Angeles Clippers did to acquire Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder this summer. The Nuggets have a war chest of first-round picks and a collection of young and promising talents — Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., and Malik Beasley — that they could use as trade assets to acquire Bradley Beal from the Wizards. Giving up precious trade assets would definitely be worth for the Nuggets if it means acquiring a player of Beal’s caliber.
Beal would give the Nuggets an All-Star caliber shooting guard who can further improve their floor spacing and can efficiently coexist with other NBA superstars. Last season, Beal averaged 25.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.5 steals while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from beyond the arc. However, before going all-in for Beal, the Nuggets first need to get an assurance that he intends to stay long-term in Denver.
As of now, Bradley Beal hasn’t shown any sign that he’s planning to demand a trade from the Wizards. However, things are expected to change if and when they suffer another huge disappointment in the 2019-20 NBA season. If Beal won’t sign the three-year, $111 million contract extension they offered this summer, the Wizards should consider trading the All-Star shooting guard in the 2020 NBA offseason instead of losing him in the summer of 2021 as an unrestricted free agent without getting anything in return.
Aside from the Nuggets, another NBA team who could express strong interest in acquiring Bradley Beal next summer is the Boston Celtics. According to a previous The Inquisitr article, the Wizards could demand a trade package centered on Jaylen Brown in a potential blockbuster deal that would send Beal to Boston.
