The Washington Wizards signed Bradley Beal to a massive $251 million contract that included a no-trade clause last offseason. However, Beal can waive that clause if he wants to, and news broke on Wednesday that he’ll work with the Wizards to find a trade destination if they choose to rebuild. With such a rebuild likely on the horizon, let’s dive into two of the best Bradley Beal trade destinations following this update, which are the Miami Heat and Memphis Grizzlies.
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Bradley Beal Trade Update: Heat & Grizzlies Best Landing Spots
The Miami Heat Could Seriously Use Bradley Beal
After a disastrous regular season and a near play-in tournament exit, the Miami Heat somehow found a way to the NBA Finals this year. However, the Denver Nuggets stomped the life out of them en route to a franchise-first NBA title. Still, the strong playoff performance suggests that the Heat should run it back with this roster — or at least something similar to it.
Getting Bradley Beal from the Wizards would benefit the Heat’s backcourt significantly. Beal, a soon-to-be-30-year-old veteran, averaged 23.2 points, 5.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds last year with an effective field goal percentage of 55.1%, the second-best mark of his career. Beal would work as a fantastic secondary scoring option behind Jimmy Butler. With Victor Oladipo likely done and Kyle Lowry entering his age-38 season, Beal makes a ton of sense for the Heat.
Early news suggests the Heat are interested in adding Beal. Shams Charania reported in the Athletic that the Heat “are expected to be prominent suitors,” should the Wizards choose to pursue a rebuild. A possible deal could easily benefit both parties, as the Heat have several young assets and plenty of first-round picks to move.
Would Bradley Beal Help the Memphis Grizzlies?
The Memphis Grizzlies have finished second in the Western Conference for back-to-back years. However, those strong results haven’t translated into playoff success — the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers dispatched Memphis before the Western Conference Finals. Keeping this roster and coaching staff as-is probably won’t produce different results.
With rumors of another Ja Morant suspension floating around due to his indiscretion with firearms, the Grizzlies may need some extra personnel — and certainly could use some veteran leadership — in the backcourt. Although Beal’s contract will be difficult for any team to accommodate, the Grizzlies could offload the sizeable Steven Adams or Luke Kennard contracts in a potential deal.
The Grizzlies have the benefit of a young core and several team-friendly contracts for players like Xavier Tillman Sr., Desmond Bane and John Konchar. Although Washington’s asking price for Beal is unclear, Memphis has the depth to weather the loss of a few players, and they have four first-round picks in the next four seasons to move around.
