The Washington Wizards could have a very different team next season if the front office decides to break up the duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal.
During a recent podcast, several media members discussed whether the Wizards should reassemble their roster in the offseason. They pointed to an example of what the Los Angeles Clippers did in the past year, trading Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks mentioned that Los Angeles would be able to pursue Beal in a potential deal (via The Hoop Collective):
“If they made Bradley Beal available, I mean this is a guy with three years left on his contract, you would have multiple aggressive bids … You know what team that would be interesting for Bradley Beal would be the Clippers. They have two lottery picks. They’re in the need of a star.”
If the front office offered their first-round draft picks and likely Tobias Harris and/or Danilo Gallinari, it could be enough to persuade the Wizards to rebuild.
Sam Cassell, who is an assistant for Los Angeles, coached Beal while in Washington from 2012 until 2014. Pat Sullivan, who is also an assistant for the Clippers, was an advanced scout and then assistant coach for the Wizards when Beal was first drafted.
Doc Rivers, who is expected to stay within the organization as the head coach, has given high praise to the guard in the past.
Before he was selected by the Wizards, the Cleveland Cavaliers were reportedly interested in selecting him and he impressed during his team workout. Trent Redden, the current assistant general manager for Los Angeles, was the Cavs’ director of player personnel at the time.
In fact, Cleveland nearly traded up to the No. 2 pick to select Beal in the 2012 NBA Draft. The Oklahoma City Thunder were also interested in making a move to grab him (via ESPN):
“The chances of a playoff team getting Beal are slim, but Finals runner-up Oklahoma City has invested quality time figuring out a way to get up high enough to land Beal. Beal told ESPN/ESPN.com Wednesday that Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti told him during an interview in Chicago that he was interested in trying to move up to draft him.”
Michael Winger, who now serves as the general manager of the Clippers, was the assistant GM for the Thunder at the time. Due to the history of their interest, don’t be surprised if those rumors begin to circulate if the Wizards are soon eliminated from contention.
from HoopsHype https://ift.tt/2vsPAlz
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