Wizards' Bradley Beal Trade: Does Star SG Still Make Sense for Mavs?

After years of DallasBasketball.com pipe-dreaming, it appears that Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal might finally be traded this summer. However, he might not make much sense for the Dallas Mavericks like he used to.

After years of rumors and speculation, it appears that Washington Wizards star shooting guard Bradley Beal could finally be traded to a new destination. The Wizards' new front office could be bracing for a rebuild, and if that's the case, it doesn't make a lot of sense for Beal to stick around.

"The Washington Wizards have granted star Bradley Beal and his representatives permission to speak with teams the three-time All-Star has interest in being traded to, league sources tell B/R," Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes wrote.

"Beal and the Wizards have agreed to work together on finding the guard a new home should the franchise choose to embark on a rebuild. Beal has not requested a trade, sources say."

Beal, who will turn 30 years old in a little less than two weeks, is still a high-quality player, as he averaged 23.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 50 games for the Wizards this year while shooting 50.6 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from deep. However, he's not good enough to get Washington over the top, and he's not bad enough to allow them to bottom out for a full rebuild ... which is why he could potentially be traded in the next week or so.

We've spitballed the idea of the Dallas Mavericks trading for Beal for a number of years at DallasBasketball.com, and it's ironic that, now that he's truly become available, he might not make as much sense for this Dallas roster like he used to.

The Mavs already have Luka Doncic on a supermax deal, and he'll make $40 million next season. Kyrie Irving, who the Mavs hope to re-sign to a long-term contract soon after free agency opens in two weeks from now, is likely going to be in that $40-million ballpark as well. As good of an offensive trio as Doncic, Irving and Beal would be, the team's defense and depth would be severely lacking with all three of them making over a combined $120 million per year.

So, as surprising as it may sound coming from us, it might not be in Dallas' best interest to pursue Beal now that he's finally become available. The Mavs will have the star power they need with Doncic and Irving, assuming Irving re-signs. From there, they must focus on adding depth around those two through the draft or through other sensible trades or signings.

Now, if the opportunity arrises to trade for a star player of LeBron James' caliber, then that becomes a whole different situation that will need to be examined, but Beal, simply put, isn't that type of player.

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Dalton Trigg
DALTON TRIGG

Dalton Trigg is the Editor-In-Chief for Dallas Basketball, as well as the Executive Editor overseeing Inside The Rockets, Inside The Spurs, All Knicks, and The Magic Insider. He is the founder and host for the Mavs Step Back Podcast, which is a proud part of the Blue Wire podcast network. Trigg graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business and Economic Development with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship in 2016. After spending a few years with multiple Dallas Mavericks-related blogs, including SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball, Trigg joined DallasBasketball.com as a staff writer in 2018 and never looked back. At the start of 2022, he was promoted to the EIC title he holds now. Through the years, Trigg has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Mavs GM Nico Harrison, now-retired legend Dirk Nowitzki and many other current/former players and team staffers. Many of those interviews and other articles by Trigg have been aggregated by other well-known sports media websites, such as Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and others. You can find Trigg on all major social media channels, but his most prevalent platform is on Twitter. Whether it’s posting links to his DBcom work, live-tweeting Mavs games or merely giving his opinions on things going on with Dallas and the rest of the NBA, the daily content never stops rolling. For any inquiries, please email Dalton@MavsStepBack.com.