NBA Rumors: Wizards Remain Unlikely to Trade Beal Before Deadline

The Washington Wizards' hot start to the 2021-2022 NBA season burned out. With a 24-28 record, the Wizards currently place 11th in the Eastern Conference just

The Washington Wizards' hot start to the 2021-2022 NBA season burned out. With a 24-28 record, the Wizards currently place 11th in the Eastern Conference just one season after cracking the eighth seed via the play-in tournament. 

With the trade deadline four days away, the Wizards are reaching selling status as several names are reportedly on their trade block, including Montrezl Harrell, Thomas Bryant, and Spencer Dinwiddie. 

While nobody's spot on the Wizards' roster is safe, many have had their eyes on Washington's star guard Bradley Beal, who is set to become a free agent during the upcoming offseason. 

Before, many expected Beal to re-sign with the Wizards, but the All-Star guard admitted that he wants to be "selfish" this offseason and consider all of his options as better opportunities could be out there for him.

But if the Wizards truly fear they might lose Beal this summer, perhaps they could consider trading him this week and gain some value for him now. If that's a direction the Wizards might go, then Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons could be a prospect they might target.

However, NBA reporter Marc Stein is hearing that Washington isn't quite ready to part ways with their star just yet. And Beal himself hasn't signaled any interest in a break-up at this point in the year.

The Latest on Beal

"One well-placed source reiterated this week that Bradley Beal remains highly unlikely to be seriously discussed in trade talks in the next six days — unless Beal goes to management and requests to be traded. That, I’m told, hasn’t happened yet. If Beal suddenly reaches that point, perhaps Washington emerges as an 11th-hour trade destination for Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons after repeated assertions from rival teams for weeks that they believe the Sixers are intent on keeping Simmons on their roster beyond the deadline for trade pursuits in the offseason."

If Beal suddenly becomes available in the coming days, the Sixers will be at the front of the line for his services as they've targeted the Wizards guard from the beginning of the Ben Simmons saga.

But right now, the Wizards' organization doesn't seem to be working together on a separation with Beal. Instead, it seems Beal is willing to see what Washington's plans are for the future. A lot can change over the next few days, but Beal doesn't seem to be on the move anytime soon.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.