2) Players to target in a LaVine trade: Bradley Beal, Shooting Guard
One of the grand prize trade targets on the open market for any team looking around for a star will be the Washington Wizards 6-foot-3 and 210 pound 27-year-old St. Louis, MO, native shooting guard Bradley Beal. As one of the biggest stars in the East on a bad team, Beal might be made available on the trade block in due time.
But the Wizards did sign Beal to what seemed like an unlikely contract extension at the time last offseason. The contract extension was for two more years, worth a total of $72 million in base salary. That now means that Beal’s contract extends through the end of the 2022-23 season, which should be right at the middle-to-back end of his prime years in the NBA.
Beal is also due as much as just over $37 million over the life of his current contract. The Bulls would have to add more into the deal to get Beal to the Windy City. But if the Wizards are willing to listen out with the Bulls for another potential trade deal, then they should see what it would take to exchange LaVine, among other pieces and assets.
In the season that was for the Wizards, Beal played in 57 games (starting in all of them). He averaged 30.5 points per game, 4.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.4 blocks. Beal shot 45.5 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from beyond the arc, and 84.2 percent from the free-throw line. That amounted to a 2.9 box plus/minus rating, .118 win shares per 48 minutes, and a 57.9 true shooting percentage.