Braley Beal and Russell Westbrook have proven to be a resilient duo, doing their best to climb the Wizards out of their early hole.
But will their partnership ever really be enough to be considered title contenders in the East? To say they’re major underdogs against the Bucks, Sixers, Celtics, and Nets would be a major understatement.
So, bearing in mind their current situation, it’s possible that Bradley Beal might force his hand and demand a trade — to which point, the Wizards would have to take action and find a suitable offer.
In a recent article by Dylan Jackson of “Fansided,” he details one such offer, in which the Wizards could pair Westbrook with sharpshooting point guard D’Angelo Russell, while the Timberwolves could unite their own star, Karl-Anthony Towns, with Mr. Beal.
(via Dylan Jackson of Fansided’s Dunking With Wolves)
Look, there’s a lot that would need to happen for this trade to even be considered realistic. But I’m choosing to ignore that in light of the Timberwolves not having much to look forward to anyways, because a core of Bradley Beal and Karl-Anthony Towns immediately makes Minnesota one of the best teams in the league. Beal would be, by far, the best player to play alongside Towns, and the duo would almost assuredly push the team in the playoffs.
Make no mistake about it: it’s an unlikely scenario, but one that would definitely shake up the status quo for both squads.
That said, the Wizards don’t want to part with Beal, and it doesn’t seem as though Beal himself wants to leave Washington – and even if he did, it likely wouldn’t be for Minnesota.
Again, though, this would be a fun scenario, and if it were to actually happen, the Timberwolves would be in a really good spot to contend – but would need to continue to build around their core of players – something that they have failed to do countless times in the past.
Westbrook and D’Lo is, admittedly, an awkward fit, but it could finally mark another era of transition for the Wizards. With Russell, picks, and Beasley, it would certainly give them a lot to think about. All things considered, could it be much than their current position?
As for Minnesota, Beal and Towns seem like a preferable fit over their current duo. At the very least, Beal has been more consistently healthy over his career than D’Lo.
Whatever happens in these days and weeks leading up to the deadline, it will be interesting to see where these teams, and players, end up.
