Realistic Trade Packages for Washington Wizards Guard Bradley Beal

We're less than a week removed from the end of the NBA Finals, and the offseason rumor mill is already picking up speed.

Wednesday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and The Athletic's Shams Charania both reported on the Washington Wizards' potential trade of Bradley Beal.

The news was far from surprising. Washington has been, at best, mediocre over the last decade or so. Since Beal's career started in 2012-13, the Wizards are 20th in winning percentage, and they haven't gotten any better since Beal entered his prime.

New Wizards president Michael Winger seemingly wanting to unload the four years and $207.7 million left on that contract makes sense.

But that raises the question: If this deal is so bad for Washington, who else would want to take it on? Are potential trade packages for the soon-to-be-30-year-old guard going to be smaller than expected? Which teams might throw caution to the wind and go after him?

Answers to all that and more can be found below.

The Deal: Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry and a 2027 first-round pick for Bradley Beal and Monte Morris

Another complicating factor, at least from the Wizards perspective, is the fact that Beal has a no-trade clause.

With Beal essentially controlling the process, this may wind up being largely a cost-cutting move for the Wizards.

If, for example, he says the Miami Heat is the only team he'll play for, that front office isn't going to pony up a massive offer for him. If he gives the team a list of suitors for which he'd decline that no-trade clause, there could be a bit of a bidding war.

But even in that case, the Heat might be able to put together the strongest package. Charania already listed them as a potential suitor, and they can add multiple additional first-rounders to that package, if necessary.

As for the mechanics of what's already detailed above, Lowry will be on an expiring contract in 2023-24. That alone saves Washington a ton of money over the three following seasons.

And while Tyler Herro is locked up through 2026-27, he's 23, and his contract peaks at $33 million. Beal's peaks at $57.1 million. Herro may not be the kind of cornerstone talent you want to build an entire team around, but he still has potential and shifting to his deal opens up a ton of flexibility.

For Miami, taking on the Beal salary isn't a no-brainer. It isn't for anyone. But the Heat can justify it more easily than most.

They were just in the Finals with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. They've made two Finals and three Eastern Conference Finals in the last four years, but each of those runs has maxed out before reaching the ultimate goal.

And Miami's 105.5 offensive rating against the Denver Nuggets was well shy of its 25th-ranked regular-season mark of 112.3 and suggests a need for more firepower.

That's what Beal can provide.

It was just two years ago that Beal ended a two-season stretch in which he averaged 30.9 points, 5.2 assists and 2.6 threes. And while he may not get as many shots with Miami as he did in 2019-20 and 2020-21, having Butler and Bam around to create open looks for him (and cover for him on defense), could make Beal's basketball life easier than it's ever been.

To make the money work under the collective bargaining agreement, Monte Morris and Lowry had to be included too, and that actually makes this deal more attractive for the Heat.

Lowry had his moments throughout the improbable 2023 playoff run, but Morris is nine years younger, makes almost $20 million less in 2023-24 and is one of the game's steadier table-setters.

The Deal: Tobias Harris and a 2029 first-round pick for Bradley Beal

Joel Embiid's desire to play with Beal has floated around the rumor mill for over a year. They both train with Drew Hanlen and have been friends for years. And their games, at least on paper, complement each other's pretty well.

Beal's three-point shooting volume has dropped significantly over the last two seasons, but he's done more than enough from the outside to command attention out there. For his career, he's taken 5.9 threes per game, while shooting 37.2 percent from deep.

If he's operating on the perimeter, it will be more difficult for opposing defenses to throw double-teams at Embiid's interior catches.

And the benefit there would be reciprocal. Playing Embiid straight-up and one-on-one inside is begging for trouble. The attention he draws within 20 feet of the rim would undoubtedly pull some off Beal.

Adding him is sort of a hedge against the possibility of James Harden leaving too.

A potential lineup of Tyrese Maxey, Beal, Harden, P.J. Tucker and Embiid is appealing, but even if Harden leaves in free agency, it's easy to slot the more defensive-minded De'Anthony Melton into that group. It'd still have plenty of scoring from Maxey, Beal and Embiid.

For Washington, this would strictly be a money-saving move.

Assuming he picks up his player option, Beal is under contract through 2027. Tobias Harris will make $39.3 million in 2023-24, but then he's off the books.

That's a ton of savings for a team that should be very interested in a full-blown rebuild. It's maybe even enough to justify doing the deal without getting a first-round pick back.

The Deal: Jaylen Brown and Danilo Gallinari for Bradley Beal and a 2027 first-round pick

Beal and Jayson Tatum also have the Hanlen connection that he and Embiid have, but this friendship may go a little deeper (or at least goes back further).

They're both St. Louis basketball players who've known each other since childhood and were once teammates on Team USA.

NBA organizations are often in the "keep your superstar happy" business, and bringing Beal to Boston could score some points with Tatum on that front.

On top of that, this is one of the few cases where the team landing Beal could actually be saving a little money.

Because he made All-NBA in 2022-23, Jaylen Brown is eligible for a five-year extension that could pay him upwards of $65 million in 2028-29 alone. Brown is good (probably a top-30 to -40 player), but that's the kind of contract that could have a crippling effect like the one Beal's had on the Wizards.

That might lead you to wonder: So, why would the Wizards sign up for that again with Brown?

For one thing, Brown is just over three years younger than Beal. He's also two inches taller, and while his defense may have slipped a bit over the last couple years, he almost certainly has more upside on that end than Beal ever did.

Whether it's Boston, Washington or someone else, Brown is going to get a long-term extension (or a big deal in 2024 free agency). But the numbers are far more palatable for teams not named the Celtics (who can offer him the most money).

Building around him may not be ideal for the Wizards, especially if Boston insisted on a first-round pick, but he'd give Washington the ability to maybe pursue a softer reset.

He's just entering his prime and has proved capable of being a No. 2 on a title contender. He'd potentially keep the Wizards competitive while they tried to accumulate assets through other avenues.

The Deal: The Deal: RJ Barrett, Evan Fournier and a 2024 first-round pick for Bradley Beal

As soon as the Cleveland Cavaliers pounced on the Donovan Mitchell trade and seemingly spared the New York Knicks from offering a boatload for the then-Utah Jazz guard, it was easy to start wondering what 40-50 percent of the Mitchell package could get New York.

Now that Beal is potentially on the market, maybe it's him.

There's certainly some untapped potential from RJ Barrett, but the Knicks are minus-1.9 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor during his career (compared to plus-3.9 without him). For four years, his shooting has been dreadful, and replacing him with Beal in that starting five would be a short-term upgrade.

Prior to this season, that kind of thinking may have seemed short-sighted, but the addition and breakout of Jalen Brunson sort of changes the calculus for New York.

For Washington, this deal gets them a first-rounder for a player whose salary will scare most teams off. Barrett, despite the concerning numbers, can still develop into a useful two-way player.

And Evan Fournier, who's mostly here for salary matching purposes, is essentially an expiring contract. The Wizards can decline his $19 million team option for 2024-25 and open up plenty of flexibility.