The Washington Wizards have been terrible over the last decade or so. They finished as the 12th seed in the Eastern Conference with a 36-47 record. As a result, there are rumors that the Wizards may go in on a full rebuild.
What does that mean? Well, for starters, the Wizards will need to find a potential trade suitor for their superstar Bradley Beal. The Miami Heat are among the prominent suitors for Beal heading into the offseason. ESPN’s Bobby Marks recently named a hypothetical blockbuster trade that could help the Heat land the soon-to-be 30-year-old.
“We’re all going to be talking about the Miami Heat whether it’d be Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, or a future pick (2028 top-10 protected first round),” Marks said. “Now the challenge, of course, comes with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Can you have Bradley Beal, Bam Adebayo, and Jimmy Butler on three max contracts?”
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The Miami Heat are recently coming off an NBA Finals run led by Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. However, the Heat were outplayed in the finals in five games by the Denver Nuggets.
Adding a player of Beal’s caliber can turn things around for the franchise. Beal averaged 23.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 5.4 APG while shooting 50.6% from the field and 36.5% from downtown during the 2022-23 regular season.
But the biggest headache about trading for Beal is his no-trade clause, which is transferrable if he gets traded to the Heat. Moreover, Beal is owed a whopping $207,740,000 over the next four years.
There’s no doubt that his contact is terrible, and it could be a double-edged sword for any team that tries to trade for him.
The Heat Can Land Both Damian Lillard And Bradley Beal
The Heat are expected to be insanely active during the summer in one way or another. Apart from Beal, the organization has been heavily linked to trade for Damian Lillard as well.
But is there a way for the team to land both superstars? Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson recently shared a three-step plan for the Heat to land both Lillard and Beal this summer.
Step 1: “Somehow get word to both Lillard (or his agent Aaron Goodwin) and Beal (or his agent Mark Bartelstein) that the Heat is trying to pull off both Lillard and Beal trades.”
Step 2: “Hope that Lillard not only asks for a trade but also asks Portland to deal him to Miami, and that the Blazers acquiesce.”
Step 3: “Hope that the Beal – who has a full no-trade clause – tells Washington that he will accept a trade only to Miami.”
To be honest, it sounds more like a pipedream than reality. But if the Heat can pull this off without gutting their depth, they will become the instant favorites to win the 2024 NBA Championship.
