NBA Rumors: Bradley Beal To Nets, John Wall To Knicks, LeVert & Allen To Wizards In Suggested 3-Way Trade
According to Bleacher Report‘s most recent list of three-way trade ideas, the Brooklyn Nets could acquire Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards in a deal that would also send Wizards point guard John Wall to the New York Knicks and Nets youngsters Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, and Taurean Prince to Washington.
According to the publication’s Grant Hughes, the main purpose of the proposed trade would be to give the Nets a third scoring option to play alongside superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. While LeVert, whose contract pays him an average of $17.5 million annually, might provide good bang for the buck, Hughes noted that Beal is a “no-questions-asked star” who could justify a move that would force the Nets to part ways with three of its top young players.
As part of the hypothetical three-way transaction, veteran Knicks big man Taj Gibson would join Beal in the Nets, while New York would also get Brooklyn reserve Rodions Kurucs and the Wizards’ No. 9 pick in the 2020 NBA draft and 2024 top-five-protected first-rounder. Aside from the trio of LeVert, Allen, and Prince, Washington would acquire Knicks forward Kevin Knox and a pair of first-round selections in this year’s draft, including one from New York and one from Brooklyn.
As pointed out by Hughes, the deal would be a gamble for the Knicks, as the team remains unsure whether Wall would return to form after missing well over a year due to a torn Achilles tendon. The erstwhile Wizards playmaker will be paid $132.8 million over the next three years, thus potentially making his contract the “most onerous” if he experiences a decline in his performance. That, as noted, is the reason behind the inclusion of the two first-rounders, as well as incoming third-year forward Kurucs, who has been “arguably” better than Knox.
As for the Wizards, Hughes wrote that the move would allow them to finally tear down their roster and begin a full-scale rebuild. He added that it might not hurt them that much to part ways with two draft picks, given the perceived weakness of the rookie class of 2020, the “protections” attached to the 2024 selection, and how they’ll be receiving this year’s 19th and 27th choices if the transaction pushes forward.
However, the key components of the theoretical trade would be the three Nets players, primarily LeVert, who has the potential to produce similar numbers to Beal at a much lower price. Hughes also predicted that Allen could step up right away and replace Thomas Bryant as the Wizards’ first-string center, adding that Prince, despite his disappointing play in 2019-20, is “not without value” as a three-and-D wingman.
