The Bradley Beal trade rumors picked up significantly Wednesday when it was reported by multiple outlets that the Washington Wizards would work with the All-Star guard to find a trade if the franchise decides to undergo a rebuild.
The Wizards have been stuck in no man's land for a while -- too good to consistently have high lottery picks but not good enough to be a playoff team -- so a full rebuild would be a smart decision.
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Which teams are most interested in Bradley Beal? Two of the Boston Celtics' main rivals -- the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat -- are at the "forefront" of this situation, per ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
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"Two teams I want to mention that I think are in the forefront right now: The Miami Heat, and this is a surprise, but I've been told the Milwaukee Bucks. Those two teams have shown interest. There are other teams on the periphery that I think are involved, but two teams I think are at the forefront are Miami and Milwaukee. Milwaukee would be a very complicated trade, but those are two teams we should mention at this point."
The Heat are constantly linked to the best players reportedly available on the trade market. They are a franchise that likes to be aggressive and is typically in a win-now mindset. The Heat have come pretty close to winning a title in the last couple years with three Eastern Conference Finals and two NBA Finals appearances since the start of the 2019-20 campaign. Would the addition of Beal be their missing piece in the championship puzzle?
The Bucks are headed for an interesting summer. Star guard Khris Middleton can become an unrestricted free agent. He also could exercise his $40 million player option for the 2023-24 season. Veteran center Brook Lopez is a UFA, too. Milwaukee had the best record in the league last season but got eliminated by Miami in a five-game first-round playoff series. It was an embarrassing playoff result for the Bucks, who could use a bit of a roster shakeup.
Could the Celtics get involved in the Beal sweepstakes? It's possible, but it would be hard to pull off. There's also the question of whether that move even makes sense for the Celtics, especially if Jaylen Brown would have to be part of the package going to Washington. Beal is not as good of a player as Brown, and the Wizards star also is three years older and in the second season of a five-year, $251 million contract.
The Wizards have never advanced past the second round with Beal during his 11 seasons with the team. It's probably time for both sides to part ways, and it'll be fascinating to watch how the process unfolds if he is ultimately traded this summer.
