Bradley Beal’s last two seasons with the Washington Wizards haven’t been as successful as desired. The player has struggled to lead the team to compete in the playoffs. Not even with Russell Westbrook by his side, the shooting guard has done the job.
He’s perceived as a sidekick instead of a leader, which has led to plenty of rumors suggesting he might leave Washington this offseason. He’s been linked with a series of teams in the association, including the Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, and Denver Nuggets.
While some people are skeptical that Beal will leave the Wizards, recent reports suggest he’s considering a trade request before the 2021 NBA draft this Thursday.
Via Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report:
With the 2021 NBA draft fast approaching, word has reached front offices around the league that Wizards All-Star guard Bradley Beal is considering requesting a trade prior to Thursday night’s event.
“He knows he has to make a decision before the draft,” one source with direct knowledge of Beal’s thinking told Bleacher Report. For the past year, people familiar with Beal’s dedicated relationship to the Wizards have consistently rebuffed the notion he had interest in playing elsewhere. Yet a second source close to Beal, when contacted by B/R, confirmed the situation is now fluid.
Beal has long maintained to confidants his desire to stay in Washington, so long as he believed the Wizards were positioned to advance deep into the postseason. And if Beal were to seek a new team, he would do so only to land in an established winning environment, sources said.
This is terrible news for the Wizards and great ones for rival teams. Several organizations are looking to upgrade their roster this offseason, trying to land talented players to create superteams.
Besides Damian Lillard and Kawhi Leonard, Beal can be a man in demand this offseason. Things haven’t gone well for the player and his team recently, which can be the trigger to blow it up, start a rebuilding process and see what pieces they can get in exchange for Bradley.
If this is true, then the rest of the league will be alert to make a move for the player. Things can get very interesting in the next couple of days, and we can’t wait to see how this situation ends.
