As it turns out, the Philadelphia 76ers may not even need to do anything to take out a key player standing in their way to regain dominance in the Eastern Conference next season. Alas, that very team is seemingly trying to sabotage itself with their rumored plan.
The Bucks, which just made a wildly shocking and audacious move to get rid of Damian Lillard by waiving him and stretching out his contract to bring in Myles Turner, is starting to get really ambitious once more this offseason. This time, Milwaukee is seeking a last-ditch move to appease Giannis Antetokounmpo, reportedly eyeing Bradley Beal as a potential summer addition through a buyout.
Beal, who has become a huge afterthought in Phoenix, could be on his way out. The Suns still have to pay him a vast amount of money thanks to his albatross deal, but there are rumblings about both camps starting to toy with the idea of a buyout.
If so, Milwaukee is truly starting to reek of desperation which, of course, is music to the ears of the 76ers.
The 76ers gain the upper hand as Bucks get close to self-imploding with Bradley Beal rumor
The East is, without a doubt, pretty wide-open next season. There are no clear favorites in the conference, especially with powerhouses Indiana and Boston missing their best players for the entire campaign due to their respective Achilles injuries.
Thus, there exists a rather smooth pathway for the 76ers to turn their meager 24-58 record from last season into a mere appendix. Philadelphia still have one of the most talented cores in the league, and in reality, even a slightly cleaner bill of health should be enough to propel them back into the playoffs.
However, one team that definitely has a say in the 76ers’ escapade is MIlwaukee. For as long as Antetokounmpo remains on their roster, the Bucks will always have a chance, although gone are the days when they struck fear on their opponents due to their overwhelming two-way capacity.
Now, the Bucks are an imbalanced squad, and Lillard’s exit only muddles up their offense. In fact, his offensive synergy with Giannis was a huge motif of their attack, and replacing him with Beal, a significantly worse table-setter and less efficient scoring option, will do nothing to improve their chances. Beal is also a negligible presence on the defensive end. There is a lot to dislike about the Bucks’ reported interest on the former All-Star.
Antetokounmpo was already reportedly pissed off about how the Bucks front office handled the Lillard situation, and it is difficult to envision him cozying up to his team eventually if they replace his former Robin with a huge downgrade in Beal.
Having said that, the Philadelphia 76ers only need to look after themselves. But while this is clearly not their problem to deal with, as long as this possibility persists, they only stand to gain. Alas, fans should probably root for the Bucks to snag Bradley Beal for themselves.