Inside The Jazz

This Potential Offseason Move Could Doom the Jazz for Years to Come

With this newest trade rumor hot off the press, the Jazz need to stay far, far away from pursuing this player.

Jared Koch

This Potential Offseason Move Could Doom the Jazz for Years to Come
This Potential Offseason Move Could Doom the Jazz for Years to Come /
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Bradley Beal: multiple-time All-Star, former All-NBA guard, great at scoring the rock, all potentially available for trade. An idea that sounds like an enticing addition to a variety of teams, but one that would end as a death trap for many, especially for the Utah Jazz.

New ownership taking over for the Washington Wizards could lead to drastic overhauls for the franchise. As reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania & Josh Robbins, Bradley Beal could hit the market to join a new team as Washington may look to reset the clock as soon as this offseason:

Great news for Wizards fans, desperate for a change as their team has been in basketball purgatory for some time now. However, the Jazz can’t be the hero here to take on Bradley Beal for many reasons.

Specifically, here’s three glaring factors that stand out as to why a deal for Bradley Beal makes zero sense for the Jazz:

1. He Does Not Fit the Timeline

Beal’s entering his 12th NBA season for 2023-24, while also turning 30 in less than a month. For the Jazz, who have made most of their moves based on elevating and adding young talent, bringing in a vet ready to win now seems counter-intuitive.

The talent’s there, but in terms of what Utah has been working toward over the past season or so, this wouldn't make much sense. If the Jazz were intrigued by an elite scoring shooting guard, not trading Donovan Mitchell would have been the better decision.

2. He’s Way Too Expensive

In terms of worst contracts in the NBA, Bradley Beal is a contender for that top spot. He’s due about $200 million over the next four years, a contract value that matches up with LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant. So yeah, unless there is some unforeseen magical resurgence from an aging Bradley Beal, he is not worth that type of money.

Utah will have a ton of money this offseason, and they still should not have any interest here. Instead of using that cash for Beal, investing in a potential RFA from around the league or retaining some existing talent would be a better use.

3. He Simply Does Not Move the Needle

Let’s say hypothetically, the Jazz did decide to trade for Beal. How far would that team realistically go? We just saw Nikola Jokic dominate the NBA across the past couple of months, only losing four games throughout the playoffs. If players like Steph Curry, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Jimmy Butler can’t give that team any trouble, I can promise Bradley Beal will not be doing much either.

For a team closer to winning a title like the Miami Heat or Philadelphia 76ers that has star talent on the roster already, this move is a lot more practical. For the Jazz though, a Beal trade would put them in the same boat the Wizards have been in for years. Nobody wants that.

Bottom Line: Avoid Bradley Beal at all costs.

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Jared Koch
JARED KOCH

Jared Koch is the Associate Editor of The Frozen Rope — SI.com's team website covering the Utah Jazz. He's covered the NBA and NFL for the past two years, also being the Managing Editor of Inside The Kings — SI.com's team website covering the Sacramento Kings.

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