Immersed in their championship window, the Brooklyn Nets are in the market for a third star and have internally discussed avenues of acquiring Wizards guard Bradley Beal, the Daily News has learned.
It’s unclear whether Beal will become available, though his circumstances have prompted speculation. The two-way guard is among the league’s highest-paid players and on a Wizards team with a low ceiling. He signed a two-year, $72 million extension last year that quelled trade rumors but Washinton (24-40) is again lottery-bound.
The Nets will have to match salaries for any trade, with Beal earning roughly $29 million next season. Assuming Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are off limits, the Nets’ best assets are Spencer Dinwiddie ($11.5 million), Caris LeVert ($16.2 million) and Jarrett Allen ($3.9 million).
In January, Irving acknowledged a “pretty glaring” need to upgrade the roster. The Nets have no cap space (although they can re-sign Joe Harris using his Bird Rights) and own the Sixers’ first-round pick this year. Their best means of upgrading is via trade.
“I mean, it’s transparent. It’s out there. It’s glaring, in terms of the pieces that we need in order to be at that next level,” Irving said. “I’m going to continue to reiterate it. We’re going to do the best with the guys that we have in our locker room now, and we’ll worry about all the other stuff, in terms of moving pieces and everything else, as an organization down the line in the summer.”
Beal, 26, averaged a career-high 30.5 points this season with 6.1 assists on 46% shooting. He led the Eastern Conference in scoring but still wasn’t named an All-Star. Beal even indicated that the snub was the result of playing for the Wizards, a team without a widespread following that operates outside of the spotlight.
“It’s so political,” Beal told the Washington Post. “NBA picks who they want and that’s just how it’s going to be. We have no TV games. All-Stars, they always talk about on winning teams but you pick and choose who you want on the losing team. It’s like, pick a side. It’s frustrating. I don’t know one guy to average 30 points a game and don’t make an All-Star team. That’s THE best players in the NBA. If I’m wrong, that’s what I thought it was.”
Still, Beal stated as recently as March that he wants to retire with the Wizards. It didn’t sound like he’s ready to force a trade like Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis or Jimmy Butler.
“I hate change. If it happens, it happens,” Beal told ESPN. “But if I can control it, I will finish in D.C.
“For me, I am kind of loyal to a fault.”
If Beal isn’t available, the circumstances in Philadelphia (Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris), Portland (CJ McCollum, Dame Lillard), OKC (Chris Paul), Houston (Russell Westbrook) and San Antonio (LaMarcus Aldridge) are worth monitoring. Stars tend to become disgruntled. However, relocating to dense New York City might not sound as appealing to players in the wake of a virus pandemic.