Just yesterday, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that the struggling Washington Wizards plan to make every player on their roster available– even all-stars John Wall and Bradley Beal.
Washington Woes
The dynamic Washington backcourt has been together for six years– but they have ultimately never reached a conference finals. Wall, who was selected #1 overall in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Wizards, has always been widely regarded as the star of the team. Many playoff letdowns and “attitude” issues have led people to believe Wall may not be the type of player you want to trade for, however.
Beal on the other hand has quickly become one of the best shooting guards in the league. Since the 2016-2017 season, Beal has averaged roughly 23 points per game on 47% shooting. So, this begs the question, should the Sixers strike a deal to acquire the NBA All-Star?
Sixers Are No Strangers to Big Moves
The Sixers are no strangers to striking a deal to acquire talent. Just last week, they acquired Jimmy Butler and Justin Patton from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Dario Saric, Robert Covington, Jerryd Bayless and a 2022 second-round pick.
With the newly acquired Butler, it appears the Sixers are finally in a “win now” mode. There are a few issues the Sixers could have trading for Beal, however. As mentioned before, the Sixers just acquired a shooting guard in Butler, but could he possibly take over the starting small forward position for J.J. Redick? That would deepen the Sixers bench and create another distraction for Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Beal to ball out. But as the old saying goes, you can’t have your cake and eat it too. The Sixers would have to give up a lot to strike a deal with the Wizards.
Philly’s Expendables
The Markelle Fultz saga grows stranger and stranger by each wonky jumper or free throw. The #1 overall pick last year looks to have contracted a severe case of the “yips” and his inability to play with Ben Simmons has soured Sixers fans on him. Should the Sixers trade Fultz before his stock possibly lowers even more?
Philly has another young player who appears to be on the way out after this year. This youngster is none other than Furkan Korkmaz. The Sixers declined Korkmaz’s third-year option and was regulated to the bench until he saw an increase in minutes after the Jimmy Butler trade.
Another asset the Sixers acquired in the NBA Draft this past year was a 2021 first-round pick. Packaging Fultz, Korkmaz, the pick, and a veteran leader in Wilson Chandler may be just enough to compete in the Bradley Beal sweepstakes.
What do you think? Would you like to see the Sixers stay aggressive this season, or would you rather wait for another option?
