Bradley Beal trade would yield 'low' return, Brian Windhorst says

Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal could be on the move this offseason, with the organization and Beal reportedly set to work together to find a trade partner in the event the franchise opts to reset its roster to build for the future.

Beal has been with Washington throughout his 11-year NBA career.

“Last week when Michael Winger was introduced as the new team president, he put it on the table,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on Get Up. “He said he has clearance from ownership to rebuild if he wants to, that he hadn’t made up his mind yet. But Winger was very cautious in making those comments.”

In other words, a final decision on a Bradley Beal trade likely hasn’t been made just yet.

It’ll be interesting to see what exactly Washington might be looking to get out of any potential trade involving Beal, a three-time NBA All-Star. It might not be much, surprisingly enough.

“I’m just going to tell you this; if, if, if the Wizards and Bradley Beal come to a decision that he should be traded because they’re going to start a rebuild, I think people would be stunned at what the price could be,” Windhorst said. “And I don’t mean high. I mean low.”

Beal’s production speaks for itself, though staying healthy has been an issue in the latter half of his career.

The talented guard out of Florida has a career average of 22.1 points per game, with a high-water mark of 31.3 points per game two years ago during the 2020-21 season.

Beal hasn’t played a full 82 games in a season since 2018-19, though. Various injuries have cut his campaigns short, with 60 games being the most appearances he has made in a season in the last four years.

Those are all things that any potential Bradley Beal trade partners would consider.

That said, things could move quickly.

“If the Wizards are going to make a move with Bradley Beal, it looks like it could be before the draft next week,” Windhorst said. “It’s very important to understand that Bradley Beal has a no-trade clause in his contract. This is very rare in the NBA. So, not only would he be able to choose if he left. He would be able to choose which team he went to and, frankly, what he got traded for.”

Beal was a former first-round draft pick out of Florida, taken No. 3 overall in 2012 by the Wizards. In his lone season in college he helped lead the Gators to the Elite Eight.