One of the most popular names on the NBA trade market heading into draft week is Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal. On Wednesday, Shams Charania revealed that Beal and the Wizards are in the process of working to find a trade for him in case the franchise ultimately decides to rebuild their roster.
So far, all signs are pointing to that being the direction Washington will choose to take this offseason. By getting Beal off the books, they will be left with far less talent on their roster and will be in prime position to acquire a high draft pick next summer. With trade rumors for Beal already heating up, it seems that a deal will go down sooner rather than later.
Just In: The Washington Wizards and Bradley Beal will work together to find a trade for the three-time All-Star if the team elects to reset the roster in the near future, league sources tell me and @JoshuaBRobbins.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 14, 2023
Shams also indicated that Phoenix and Miami have emerged as the two most serious candidates to land Bradley Beal. But that does not mean the Wizards have stopped listening to other offers as well. The Minnesota Timberwolves could still make a play for the talented guard with the right package.
Some may be skeptical of Beal’s fit with the Wolves, but if Minnesota is indeed moving on from Karl-Anthony Towns, he could be the missing piece they need. The Timberwolves would be wise to do their due diligence here and see if they can pull off a trade for the three-time All-Star.
Minnesota’s President and General Manager, Tim Connelly, is no stranger to bold moves in the offseason. After executing the trade for Rudy Gobert less than six weeks into his Timberwolves tenure, anything is possible. Let’s dive into what a potential trade may look like.
There is one major roadblock for the Timberwolves if they were to make a hard push for Bradley Beal. As we know, the team is short on draft picks, which significantly lessens their ability to draw up a compelling offer.
As such, any reasonable proposal to land them Beal would likely have to include Karl-Anthony Towns. If the team is already set on moving KAT to begin with, trading for another perennial All-Star like Beal would seem to be an ideal scenario.
Our proposed three-team deal would involve sending Towns to Atlanta along with Nathan Knight. Washington would receive John Collins and Clint Capela along with the Hawks’ first-round pick in next week’s draft. Beal ends up in Minnesota.
Bringing on Beal would technically bring an $8.7 million salary cap hit on the Wolves. But in reality, they would end up saving money when Karl-Anthony Towns’ supermax kicks in next season. Per his current contract which he signed in 2022, Beal would be under contract in Minnesota through the 2026-27 season, with a player option in his final year.
It is important to note that Beal’s salary under his current contracted is backloaded, meaning he will earn more with each season that passes. If he remained in Minnesota for the next four years, the Timberwolves would be paying him a hefty $57.1 salary by 2026.
If Minnesota is committed to making a play to deal Karl-Anthony Towns, this would at the very least be a tempting offer. Without KAT on the roster, the team would be down a player with tremendous scoring talent and offensive gravity.
Bradley Beal’s skill with the basketball would go a long way toward making up for those losses. It seems that in recent months, many in the NBA community have forgotten exactly how lethal Beal is with the rock in his hands.
It is understandable for fans to be undervaluing him given how irrelevant the Wizards have been in recent years. But Beal is one of the most potent, high-level offensive threats in the entire NBA. He has averaged at least 22 points per game in the last seven seasons in a row.
Beal is in rare air when it comes to slashing and scoring off the bounce. In 2022-23, he notched his first professional season shooting over 50% from the floor. For his career, he is a 37% shooter from behind the three-point arc.
For the Minnesota Timberwolves, Beal would be an excellent fit next to Anthony Edwards in the backcourt. The loss of Towns’ scoring prowess would be filled by Beal’s explosive ability quite nicely, and the two would form one of the most dangerous duos in the Western Conference. Beal’s availability could just be the perfect opportunity for the Wolves to get the return for KAT they have been looking for.