76ers Rival Watch: A Bradley Beal Trade Could Be In Works Soon

The Washington Wizards made some key changes at the start of the offseason. After parting ways with their General Manager Tommy Shepard, the Wizards rebuilt their front office leadership by hiring Michael Winger as the team’s President.

With Winger taking over, the Wizards are potentially one step closer to making a key change that’s been kicked around as an idea for the last couple of years.

Washington guard Bradley Beal has established himself as one of the NBA’s top guards during his time with the Wizards. Coming out of Florida in 2012, Beal became the third-overall pick in the NBA Draft to Washington.

Since getting his start in the NBA, Beal has earned three All-Star appearances and an All-NBA Third Team nod. Throughout his 11-year run with the Wizards, Beal has averaged 22 points while knocking down 46 percent of his field goals and 37 percent of his threes.

Going into contract extension talks last summer, many believed that Beal could potentially find himself a new home after spending the last decade playing for the Wizards, who are closer to a rebuilding team rather than a contending squad. However, market conditions caused Beal to stick with the Wizards, who put a five-year contract worth $251 million on the table.

One season into his major contract, Beal and the Wizards are working together on a potential trade to send the veteran guard packing to a contending squad, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

“With the NBA draft looming on June 22 and free agency commencing July 1, conversations on Beal's future with the Wizards are expected to become more frequent, sources said.”

With Beal becoming available, many teams including the 76ers, would likely give the Wizards a call to see what it would take to get the three-time All-Star on their roster.

However, trading Beal won’t be a cakewalk for the Wizards, who have a couple of obstacles to overcome. For starters, Beal has a no-trade clause attached to his contract. Therefore, striking a deal with a team that has the best-suited offer for the Wizards won’t be possible unless Beal and his reps accept the landing spot.

Secondly, Beal’s contract isn’t exactly among the most attractive in the NBA. While getting a high-end talent on a multi-season contract seems like a desirable move, Beal’s $46.7 million salary for next season only gets higher by the year. And by the time Beal’s 33 years old, he could make nearly $60 million for the 2026-2027 season alone.

The 76ers have been linked to Beal in the past prior to their trade for James Harden during the 2021-2022 season. While Philadelphia’s plan to retain Harden remains their top priority this offseason, a trade with the Wizards to land Beal could be a possible Plan B if Plan A falls through.

So far, only one team has been linked to Beal. According to a report from The Athletic, the Miami Heat are expected to be “prominent suitors” for Beal if the Wizards are seriously ready to make a franchise-altering move. So far, the Sixers have no connection to the All-Star guard.

As Harden’s future remains unclear, Beal will be a name to keep an eye on in Philadelphia as the 76ers could be in the market for one of the NBA’s top available guards soon if everything doesn’t go according to plan in free agency.