Philadelphia 76ers should keep tabs on Bradley Beal and his situation

Coming off of a mostly uneventful offseason, expect the Philadelphia 76ers to evaluate many options in an attempt to land a third star. There is one specific situation that the team should monitor closely. 

The Philadelphia 76ers failed to land a star name in the offseason, and appear to have no interest in landing angered star Jimmy Butler. While the team can wait to take a chance in landing a star in free agency, there is a situation that may become available over time, via trade.

The Washington Wizards recently did a minor retool of their roster, trying to make their team competitive for their All-Star back court in John Wall and Bradley Beal. The Wizards traded away Marcin Gortat to land Austin Rivers, and landed Dwight Howard in free agency.

So why should you care about the Washington Wizards fan if you’re a Sixers fan?

More from Sixers News

• 3 Sixers players who could help Team USA Basketball
• 76ers 2k24 ratings: 3 most underrated players on Philadelphia roster
• 76ers head coach Nick Nurse bares lofty plans for Paul Reed this season
• Grade the Trade: 76ers swap Tobias Harris for superstar PG in mock deal
• Breaking Down Bombshell Report on Sixers Star James Harden

The Wizards are in a very tough situation; and their window to win with their current roster is closing rapidly. The team also can’t improve via free agency, as they are tied up with contracts; the team only has 5 guaranteed deals next season, however those 5 deals add up to over $110 million in salary.

On top of the talent and salary issue, the team has been known in the past to have rumors of bad chemistry. There has been rumors of a potential rift with Beal and Wall. Adding Austin Rivers and Dwight Howard — two players who have had questions about their character — to a controversial  locker room may just put things over the edge.

If the Wizards don’t improve at all this season expect things to change. There is a great chance that the front office may want to hit the “reset button” and start a rebuild. There is always the possibility that one of their stars may demand a trade, if they see the situation in a bad light for their career.

This is where the Sixers can capitalize on the potential situation.

At this point it seems very clear that the Wizards are fully locked in on John Wall (regardless of if they really want too or not), as he was recently signed to a massive extension paying him $185 million over the next five seasons. A contract, that would be very challenging to move.

If the Washington Wizards wanted to retool their roster it would most likely mean they would be looking for a return on their other star, Bradley Beal.

If the Wizards ever put Bradley Beal on the trade block, the Sixers should make it their number one priority in acquiring the swing man.

Not only is Bradley Beal an all-star talent, the guard would be a perfect fit in what the Sixers currently need. Beal is a three-level scorer, who can play on or off the ball, and defend at an effective rate.

Markelle Fultz is a massive question mark, but there is a chance he can become the player he is meant to be. Even if he does, Bradley Beal would be an excellent fit with him in the back court.

Another advantage in terms of trading for Beal is the fact he’s on contract until the 2020-2021 season. The Sixers would be willing to give up more assets knowing that he isn’t just a one year rental.

So how could the Sixers land Bradley Beal in a trade?

Breaking down a potential trade

If Washington is putting him on the trade block, they would want to get assets in return that could help benefit them in the current moment, and in the future. Luckily, the Sixers have a great amount of talent on the roster, and even have some draft assets they could throw in to sweeten a deal.

Here is a proposed 3-team deal, involving the Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Wizards, and Chicago Bulls:

In a Bradley Beal trade, the Washington Wizards will almost certainly be looking to unload salary so they can improve in the future via free agency. A few years ago, the Wizards signed Ian Mahinmi to a ridiculous contract, and he’s owed over $30 million over the next two seasons.

In this theoretical trade, the Wizards get back another bad contract in Omer Asik. There’s a huge difference in terms of contracts between the two said players; as Asik’s has an early termination option. If the Wizards used their option (which would almost be certain), Asik would only be owed $3 million for the following season.

In addition, the Wizards would receive expiring contracts in Jerry Bayless and Wilson Chandler, freeing up even more cap space; giving them more or less of roughly $30 million to use.

The Washington Wizards would also be given some great future pieces in this deal; in Zhaire Smith and Dario Saric. Smith would help them benefit from the lack of wing defense lost trading away Beal, while Dario Saric could be a very capable stretch-4. John Wall could benefit from the floor spacing, as he is best when slashing to the rim.

This deal would also help the Wizards if they fully wanted to hit the reset button. Gaining an unprotected pick in a deep 2021 draft, would certainly help them build for the future.

Recently, the Chicago Bulls began their rebuild. As a team rebuilding, they will be looking for draft picks and young players to help build their roster. In this deal they do take the horrible 2 years left of Ian Mahinmi; however, they do gain two solid young pieces in T.J. Mcconnell and Furkan Korkmaz.

Mcconnell could help provide wing defense that they are in need of. Korkmaz would help be a solid rotational piece, and space the floor for their two young bigs in Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr.

The Bulls would also gain some draft compensation from this, picking up a late first rounder in an upcoming draft.

There’s no doubt the Sixers give up a lot of pieces to make this deal happen, however the outcome could help the Sixers become a legitimate contender. Bradley Beal is a star player, and a starting five of Fultz, Beal, Covington, Simmons, and Embiid is certainly scary to many teams.

The Sixers would also gain Philadelphia native Markieff Morris in this trade. A player who can play power forward and center effectively, and space the floor. He’s on the last year of his contract, but odds are they could resign him for a decent price.

Justin Holiday is a player that could help replace the bench depth lost in this trade. He’s more than capable of playing either wing spot and is a solid rotation piece.

This is just one example of many possible scenarios in which a trade like this could happen. Will the Washington Wizards implode? Is Bradley Beal the missing piece for the Philadelphia 76ers? Only time will tell. However, keep a close eye on the Wizards; as they are a potential sleeper team in future trades.