Does this trade make sense for the Washington Wizards?
As stated before, the Washington Wizards have said many times that they want to keep Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook long-term so it is unexpected that one proposed trade could change their minds. They would likely decline this deal from Boston, but there is definitely a ton of value to be had.
Bradley Beal’s value is at its peak right now and as a result, Washington could gain a ton of assets by leveraging their superstar shooting guard. Evan Fournier and Marcus Smart are definitely valuable, experienced players who could help this team win games without Beal and getting a total of five first-round picks (3 unprotected, 2 swaps) could definitely be of use to the Wizards.
For years now, they have been trying to build a sustainable core around Beal through the draft and they have actually brought in some really talented players. Rui Hachimura and Deni Avdija have been the latest additions for this team and both of them look like key role players that can be utilized for many years to come.
Adding on more first-round talent to this roster gives Washington the ability to build a team for the future that could absolutely one day contend for a title. Right now, with just Westbrook and Beal, the Wizards’ potential is limited and they likely will not be contenders in the East with just these two guys.
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They are some of the best talents in the league at their respective positions, but these two alone cannot carry the Wizards through the playoffs. They can get there like they did this year, but they will not be able to beat teams like the Nets, 76ers and Bucks without a third key talent.
As a result, trading Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook now may not be such a terrible idea if it means more potential to be successful moving forward. It is definitely a tough decision to make, especially since the Wizards did make the playoffs this year, but the idea of leveraging assets now to win in the future definitely has to be an option in the backs of the minds of this front-office.
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The best move they can make this offseason is to try and add a third high-level talent to their roster, but if they fail to do so and are unable to do so at the trade deadline during the 2021-22 season, hitting the “reset” button and trading their All-Star talents could definitely be in play for the Washington Wizards next offseason.
