The Toronto Raptors continue to establish an impressive performance in the 2018-19 NBA season, and as of now, they are sitting on the top of the Eastern Conference with a 23-8 record. If they become consistent and remain healthy throughout the season, the Raptors have the opportunity of making their first appearance to the NBA Finals this season.
However, in order to solidify their chance of beating the reigning NBA champions, Golden State Warriors, in a best-of-seven series, the Raptors should still consider upgrading their roster before the February NBA trade deadline. According to SB Nation’s Bullets Forever , the Raptors could target Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards.
As they continue to struggle in the 2018-19 NBA season, the Wizards have reportedly made every player on their roster, including Bradley Beal, available in trade discussions. To convince the Wizards to trade the All-Star shooting guard to Toronto, SB Nation’s Bullets Forever suggests that the Raptors could explore a trade package including Jonas Valanciunas, OG Anunoby, and CJ Miles. The proposed trade deal works on ESPN ‘s NBA Trade Machine.
“This is an interesting idea that would probably be unpopular with Wizards fans, but at least rearranges the talent and changes team dynamics,” Kevin Broom of SB Nation’s Bullets Forever said.
“From Toronto’s perspective, it’s the kind of move a contending team makes — swapping several pretty good role players for a potential ‘last piece.’ For Washington, while it still doesn’t quite feel like they’re getting full value, a first-round pick would be too much, and they don’t value second rounders. The guy I most want from Toronto is Pascal Siakam, but there’s a 0.0 percent chance Ujiri trades him.”
Bradley Beal is breaking out in John Wall’s absence: ‘I was due’ https://t.co/0uSVxTjJLy
— Samantha Pell (@SamanthaJPell) December 7, 2018
Bradley Beal will undeniably be an incredible addition to the Raptors. He will give the Raptors a very reliable scoring option and an All-Star guard Kyle Lowry has been missing since Toronto traded his best friend, DeMar DeRozan, to the San Antonio Spurs. This season, Beal is averaging 23.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.0 block, and 1.0 steal on 47.2 percent shooting from the field and 34.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
A starting lineup featuring Kyle Lowry, Bradley Beal, Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam, and Serge Ibaka will be a huge headache to any powerhouse teams in the league even to the defending champions, Warriors. The deal will also be beneficial for the Wizards as it will help them remain competitive in the Eastern Conference. However, it is highly likely that the Wizards will demand future draft picks from the Raptors in a potential deal involving Beal.
