The Bradley Beal trade saga has become a focal point for the NBA community over the last few days. Beal could be on his way out as the Washington Wizards could under a full rebuild.
There are a plethora of teams on the lookout to trade for Beal if he becomes available. But let’s take a step back. According to The Athletic’s Fred Katz, Draymond Green apparently tried to recruit Beal to the Golden State Warriors when they were teammates for Team USA in 2021.
“The Golden State Warriors appealed to him in the past, according to sources,” Katz wrote. “Throughout his short stint with Team USA in 2021, Draymond Green made sure to remind him (you may be surprised, more than once) of what joining a many-times champion could do for him.”
In 2021, the Warriors were on a hunt to add a superstar alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green as Klay Thompson was sidelined due to a torn right Achilles.
Green’s efforts failed as Beal stayed with the Wizards and signed a massive five-year $251 million extension last summer with a no-trade clause.
Bradley Beal Rejected A Move To The Warriors
The Golden State Warriors became the 2022 NBA champions after missing the playoffs in 2020 and 2021.
Prior to the start of the 2021-22 season, the Warriors weren’t looked at as legitimate contenders to win the championship. In an attempt to contend, the Dubs apparently tried to trade for Beal. However, the Wizards guard rejected the move.
“Before last season — now granted, they didn’t know if they had a championship team, they know now they do — they kicked the tires on Bradley Beal… [The Warriors] were like, ‘Hey, could we do a deal for Bradley Beal?’ But Beal didn’t want to go,” Brian Windhorst revealed.
Fast forward to now, the Warriors were eliminated from the playoffs in the second round. They had no answer for the Los Angeles Lakers and were sent home in six games.
The Warriors’ core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green are well into their 30s, so there are rumors that the organization may try to win at least one more ring before they eventually break up.
Now, would adding Beal to that core makes sense? Most likely not. Beal averaged 23.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 5.4 APG in the 2022-23 season. Moreover, he’s all set to turn 30 in June. So giving up their young core of players, such as Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga, wouldn’t make sense for the Dubs in the longer run.
On top of that, Beal is owed more than $200 million over the next four years. Adding such a mammoth contract would skyrocket the Warriors’ luxury tax.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
