Should Sixers Have Interest in Trading for Bradley Beal?

With the NBA Finals now complete, the offseason is set to kick into high gear in the coming days. One name who has consistently been mentioned in the rumor mill in recent days is Bradley Beal.

Those rumors were lended some real weight on Wednesday afternoon with a report from both Shams Charania and Josh Robbins of The Athletic.

Just In: The Washington Wizards and Bradley Beal will work together to find a trade for the three-time All-Star if the team elects to reset the roster in the near future, league sources tell me and @JoshuaBRobbins.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 14, 2023

The Washington Wizards completely overhauled their front office earlier this offseason, bringing in Michael Winger as their president and Will Dawkins as the general manager. There have been whispers around the league about the potential of the Wizards’ new front office going down the path of a rebuild. The organization lacks cap space and their current roster is simply not good enough to compete. They made the playoffs in just one out of the last five seasons, finishing with a 161-229 record in that span. All of that, combined with this latest report, dramatically raises the likelihood of Beal being dealt at some point this offseason.

There will surely be a lot of interest in Beal from teams around the league. Despite the strong interest, the potential return the Wizards will receive in a Beal trade is likely to be somewhat limited by a pair of factors. The remainder of Beal’s massive contract is a big constraint for whichever team acquires him. Beal is under contract the next four seasons (including a player option) for a total of roughly $207.7 million. Under the new CBA, there are a lot more penalties for teams who go over the NBA’s luxury tax line. Those new penalties include, for teams over the second apron ($17.5 million above the luxury tax line), losing access to the taxpayer mid-level exception, an inability to use cash in trades or sign most bought-out players, being unable to aggregate salaries in trades beginning in 2024 and not being allowed to trade first-round picks seven years out.

With the salary cap for next season expected to be set at around $134 million, Beal’s salary ($46.7 million in 2023-24) is going to take up just over one third of a team’s cap space. For any team looking to trade for Beal likely being a contender with an already high salary sheet, it will be extraordinarily difficult to build a complete roster while also avoiding the increased penalties for crossing over the second apron. This will likely result in the Wizards receiving pennies on the dollar in any Beal trade. ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst, on “Keyshawn, JWill and Max” on Wednesday, said observers will be “very surprised” by the return the Wizards receive in any Beal trade due in part to his gigantic contract.

The other limiting factor in any potential Beal trade is the full no-trade clause in his contract. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski’s report on the Beal news included a breakdown of how Beal’s no-trade clause can heavily impact things: “After completing the first season of a five-year, $251 million contract, Beal’s unique standing as the NBA’s only current player to have a no-trade clause negotiated into his deal gives him the ability to control not only possible destinations but also how a potential package to acquire Beal impacts his ability to play for a contender elsewhere.”

Should the Sixers be interested in trading for Beal? Do the Sixers entice Beal enough to get him to waive his no-trade clause? The answer to the second question on paper is simple: Yes. Beal and Sixers superstar big man Joel Embiid have a prior connection. They both have Drew Hanlen as their trainer, and often they do workouts together in the offseason. Also, according to The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, Embiid “really wanted” the Sixers to trade Ben Simmons for Beal at the trade deadline during the 2021-22 season. The Sixers, as everyone knows, ultimately went the route of trading for James Harden.

There is likely a lot of incentive for Beal to waive his no-trade clause to come to Philadelphia. However, should the Sixers reciprocate that interest? On paper, Beal’s fit with the rest of the Sixers roster is interesting to think about. In a world where the Sixers do not re-sign Harden, Beal could come in and replace a lot of what Harden brought on the court. He is a good movement shooter who can score at all three levels. His 3-point shooting volume has gone down in each of the past two seasons, but he is still a more than capable outside shooter. He is also a capable defender, averaging a respectable 1.1 steals per game for his career.

However, the fit next to Tyrese Maxey is not perfect. The Sixers would have to get creative in terms of running the offense. Beal, in the four years since John Wall left the Wizards, proved he has some ability as a creator for others. He averaged 5.5 assists per game over the last four seasons. Maxey does not yet possess the ability to successfully play point guard and run the offense. He has to improve his ability to quickly read the floor and make the correct decision. Ideally, Maxey takes the next step as a playmaker and can slot in as more of a point guard, but he has not yet shown that ability. If they traded for Beal, the Sixers would have to find a way to get by with the offense running through the combination of Beal, Maxey and Embiid.

There are also some other areas of concern about Beal. He played in just 90 out of 164 games over the last two seasons. Over that same time period, his performance has taken a small decline. That could in part be due to him not putting full effort in while playing on a terrible team. The Sixers, before they trade for him, would be smart to ensure he is buying in. Playing on a true contender could rejuvenate Beal, who at 29 years old is still in the prime of his career.

If the Sixers were interested in Beal, what would it take for them to acquire him from the Wizards? Due primarily to Beal’s massive contract, the Sixers would have a shot at getting him for a package centered around Tobias Harris and some draft capital. Due to the Stepien Rule, the Sixers are unable to trade a first-round pick until 2029. However, they could do pick swaps with the Wizards in either 2024, 2026 or 2028. Would a package of Harris, a first-round pick swap in 2026 and a 2029 first-round pick be enough to land Beal? The Sixers should be unwilling to include Maxey in these negotiations, leaving them not much else they can add into any offer. It is likely another team interested in Beal would be able to present a better offer. The most likely path to Beal ending up in Philadelphia would be if he uses his no-trade clause to force the Wizards to deal with the Sixers.

When it comes down to it, Beal is an interesting fit who would undoubtedly improve the Sixers roster. The Sixers likely would not have to give up much to trade for him. However, is he good enough to propel the Sixers past the second round of the playoffs? Is he worth the team mortgaging any future flexibility? According to PhillyVoice’s Kyle Neubeck, the Sixers have concerns about Beal and do not see him as a “long-term building block.”

“However, sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity insisted that the Sixers will not be pursuing Beal and are not interested in him as a long-term building block. The concerns on Philadelphia’s end are all the obvious ones laid out above. Committing $200 million to a player over the next four years under a CBA that is punitive for expensive teams is not a route they’re looking to travel.

As the Sixers assess their options to operate over the cap, they are not going to move swiftly toward the second apron and all of the limitations that come with it. Even if Beal were a perfect option, there would be trepidation about going after him.”

Most of the concerns regarding trading for Beal center around his giant contract and a recent inability to stay on the floor. Even if the Sixers could possibly acquire him for cheap (Harris and some draft picks), it would not alleviate the risk of bringing in a player who lately has proven to be good but is getting paid like a superstar player. Making this move would essentially eliminate any future roster-building flexibility the Sixers have over the next four seasons.

The Sixers likely have just one more shot at making a home run move to compete for a championship while in Embiid’s prime. Hitting on whatever their next big move ends up being is critical. Trading for Beal is an interesting proposition, but in the end it does not appear to be the Sixers’ best move going forward.