Miami Heat: Bradley Beal considering requesting a trade
By Jack Simone
As the Miami Heat embark on their offseason quest to land a third star, one name to keep track of is Bradley Beal. The Wizards guard is apparently growing restless in Washington.
According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, Beal is considering requesting a trade ahead of this year’s NBA Draft. The event is set for this Thursday, so if this rumor proves to be true, Beal could be on the move very soon.
Many believed Beal would request a trade last season, but in the end, he doubled down on the fact that he wanted to stay in Washington. Things seemed to have changed since then.
Related Story. Ranking the 3 most valuable trade assets. light
Should the Miami Heat keep tabs on Bradley Beal this offseason?
The Wizards made a miraculous run to end the season and landed the eighth seed in the playoffs. However, after a swift first-round exit, Beal may be sick of losing.
People around the league constantly stated that Beal did not want to leave Washington. However, according to Fischer, sources are now saying that Beal is unsure of what he wants.
"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 led the league in scoring just a couple of years ago. Seeing as the Miami Heat struggled most on the offensive end of the floor, he would be the perfect player to add to the roster.
He’s a three-time All-Star at only 28 years old. Adding him to a core of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo would immediately catapult the Miami Heat into title contention.
They may not be as talented as the big three in Brooklyn or as defensively sound as the big three in Milwaukee, but they would have a perfect balance of both offense and defense.
Though he ended up having to leave, his time with Team USA could have swayed him to consider opting out of Washington. Maybe Bam Adebayo is a better recruiter than some gave him credit for.
Beal has not put together an official list of preferred destinations, but Fischer reported that multiple sources said he would not mind being traded to the Warriors, 76ers, Celtics, or Heat.
The hardest part about landing Beal for the Heat would be putting together a competitive offer. Other teams have more picks and better young assets than Miami does at the moment.
If Beal were to come out and put Miami on his shortlist of teams, though, they would be in a much better position. A package of Tyler Herro, Precious Achiuwa, and a couple of firsts starting in 2027 is all they have to offer.
The harsh reality is that the Miami Heat just don’t have enough assets under contract right now. Adebayo is too important to trade, and both Kendrick Nunn and Duncan Robinson are restricted free agents.
Next. 3 teams that could trade for Tyler Herro this offseason. dark
Butler and Adebayo are going to have to do some serious convincing if they want Beal as a teammate. Beal naming Miami as his top destination may be the only chance the Heat have at trading for him this offseason.