For a long time, it seemed like Bradley Beal would never leave the Washington Wizards.
However, things have changed and there is now speculation that Beal is seriously considering leaving the only NBA team he has ever known.
“For the first time in a long time, sources close to Beal indicate he’s not rejecting out of hand the notion of trade elsewhere — even though his preference is to remain with the Wizards.” 👀
– @davidaldridgedc & @JoshuaBRobbins on Bradley Beal’s future pic.twitter.com/XFCBzrzoNc
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) February 2, 2022
The three-time All-Star has scored 23.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.6 assists this season.
Those are all impressive numbers and show why Beal is so beloved by the team…but the Wizards are still suffering.
Right now, the Wiz stand at 11th in the East with a record of 24-27.
The chances of a postseason for them are fading fast.
This comes on the heels of multiple seasons that fell short – suggesting that whatever Washington is trying just isn’t working.
That means it’s time to change it up – and maybe really consider sending Beal away.
Beal For Ben?
The Wizards got off to a hot start his year but things fell apart just a few weeks into the season and they are now battling to stay in playoff contention.
If they want any hope of making it into the postseason, it’s obvious that they need to really shake up their roster.
They don’t have a lot of choices: they can either wipe the entire roster aside from Beal or they can finally take the dive and create a package that includes Beal.
The latter is definitely the path they need to take if they are hoping to land an All-Star player.
Especially if they want Ben Simmons.
It has been known that Beal is one of the few players that the Philadelphia 76ers will consider in a Simmons trade.
There is no doubt that Simmons is a terrific player when he wants to be.
He would add a lot to the Wizards’ roster and would immediately give them a boost in the latter half of the season.
The Wizards wouldn’t get a reliable shooter with Simmons but they would get an absolute defensive unit – and that’s something they could definitely use.
But would they get enough with Simmons to make this trade worth it?
Bye Bye Beal?
As mentioned, Simmons would not bring much to the Wizards in terms of offense.
He might perfect his shooting game a bit but he will never be a perimeter performer like Beal has been.
Therefore, if the Wizards really consider this package, they should attempt to get more than just Simmons from Philly.
However, the latest reports say that the 76ers aren’t budging: they won’t send Washington more than just Simmons.
The 76ers are willing to trade Ben Simmons for Bradley Beal pic.twitter.com/OFJ73YxB9x
— League Alerts (@LeagueAlerts) February 2, 2022
If that’s the case, Washington will need to have their other guards step it up in a big, big way.
Simmons on the team could make the Wizards very happy – but only if he has a reliable group of offense-minded players around him.
It seems like the time is right for the Wizards to finally deal Beal away – especially if they can get another All-Star like Simmons in exchange.
But Washington will need to be prepared to vastly shake up their team and change a lot about it.
However, that would all be worth it if Simmons helps them get deep into the postseason, right?
NEXT: Wizards Continue To Be Stuck In Mediocrity