Making moves to land a solidified star could work out for the Chicago Bulls if the Washington Wizards will shop shooting guard Bradley Beal.
The trade framework for the Chicago Bulls to make moves on the Washington Wizards key pieces already helped them add to the roster twice in the past six months. Around the 2019 NBA Trade Deadline, the Bulls snagged two-way small forward Otto Porter Jr. from the Wizards for a return of a pair of forwards with Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis. That could set the tone for John Paxson and Gar Forman to pursue star shooting guard Bradley Beal this summer.
As Beal just turned 26-years-old, he should now be entering his prime years of production. There is no better point for the Bulls to try to get him as he could be a star for them for a while. He averaged 25.6 points per game, 5.5 assists, and 5.0 rebounds last season. Beal is also an All-Star Game participant for each of the past two seasons.
With the Oklahoma City Thunder sending superstar point guard Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for a return of two future first round draft picks and veteran point guard Chris Paul, the Beal rumors were sure to heat up again (no pun intended).
According to the Miami Herald, the Miami Heat considered taking on the contract of currently-injured point guard John Wall from the Wizards so they could also get Beal. If those discussions are legitimately circulating right now, then it could be an opportunity for the Bulls to see what the Wizards front office will set a price tag at to land Beal.
The advanced numbers also give reason for GarPax to be interested in Beal. He is a bona fide star that registered a 20.8 player efficiency rating and 7.6 win shares last season. His 3.7 value over replacement player rating is insane as was his 3.9 offensive box plus/minus, 24.1 assist percentage, and 11.7 defensive rebounding percentage.
If the Bulls were to try and land Beal, they would have to move two or three promising young players and potential future draft assets. The Wizards wanting a return of rising star shooting guard Zach LaVine along with one or two other assets shouldn’t be a deal-breaker in this imaginary trade discussion.
The ideal move for the Bulls in a trade framework like this would be to move a piece like shooting guard Antonio Blakeney along with point guard Kris Dunn if possible. Sending out Dunn, LaVine, Blakeney, and small forward Chandler Hutchison could be a good move for the Bulls and the Wizards.
In return the Bulls could get Beal, wing Troy Brown Jr., and point guard Isaac Bonga. Whether the Bulls want to keep Bonga around is up to them, but they would be able to offload pieces that were being shopped around anyway or don’t do much for the roster like Dunn and Blakeney. Exchanging LaVine for Beal helps even out the salary swap and also gives the proper respect for each player going each way.