The Miami Heat and the Phoenix Suns are engaged in trade talks with the Washington Wizards to acquire Bradley Beal, per reports.
Beal, 29, has also been linked with a move to the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason. The Boston Celtics are another previously rumored destination due to the player's long-standing friendship with Jayson Tatum. However, long-time admirers Miami and emerging threat Phoenix are reportedly the most serious contenders to land the lead guard. The Athletic report that both teams are negotiating with the Wizards over Beal.
It comes days after reports that the franchise would work with Beal, who has a no-trade clause, to facilitate a move should they decide to reset their roster this offseason following a change of front-office decision-makers. The suggested seriousness of these talks indicates that a rebuild is imminent in the DMV.
That is despite Beal signing a five-year, $251million maximum-salary extension less than 12 months ago when the no-trade clause and a 15 percent trade bonus became active. Since then, though, Washington missed the postseason for a second-straight year and fired general manager and president Tommy Sheppard.
New president Michael Winger and GM Will Dawkins have replaced Sheppard. They now seem serious about ending Beal's 11-year association with the organisation that drafted him third overall in 2012.
As well as the shooting guard being on the way out, center Kristaps Porzingis and wing Kyle Kuzma are likely opting out of their player options this summer and becoming unrestricted free agents. Shedding those contracts would leave the Wizards well-positioned to rebuild through the draft.
Beal is expected to seek a switch to a contending team when he does leave this summer. He has missed the postseason in four of the last five seasons, failing to make it past the Eastern Conference semifinals in over a decade in the league.
The Heat and the Suns, having each reached the NBA Finals in the last three years, both fit that bill. Any move to South Beach for Beal would likely mean Tyler Herro moving in the opposite direction, with multiple first-round picks also changing hands.
The shooting guard would help relieve the offensive burden on Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler for Miami, the league's lowest scorers in the regular season. None of those issues exist in Phoenix, with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant in town.
A backcourt of Beal and Booker promises to be an irresistible force for opponents, with the prospective new arrival likely replacing Chris Paul in the rotation. The point guard could be the centrepiece of a potential trade, with the organisation discussing moving or waiving the veteran this offseason.
If a move to the desert were to transpire, then it remains to be seen how the Suns would address their dearth of depth by acquiring another max-contract player. Much of the rotation that reached the Finals departed when acquiring Durant at the trade deadline.
