Beal is not yet available, but if he becomes available, Marcus Thompson II reports that the Warriors will be very interested.
The Golden State Warriors have been linked to a lot of players this offseason, as rumors, reports, and wishcasting get underway.
Specifically, the Warriors have been linked to a few All-Stars. It makes sense on all fronts. The Warriors still have a championship core, but clearly need to add talent if they want to return to the top of the West. There’s some urgency, given the age of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, and the Dubs have a lot of interesting things to package in a trade: two lottery picks this year, first-round picks in future years, last year’s No. 2 pick in James Wiseman, and a max contract to match salary in Andrew Wiggins.
So if a star becomes available, all the pieces add up for the Dubs to make a run at a big acquisition. And in a in an offseason where there have already been rumors linking the Warriors to Pascal Siakam, Ben Simmons, and yes, even Damian Lillard, it seems the Warriors have their eyes — and hopes — set on one name: Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal.
According to a report from Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic, Beal is at the top of the Warriors wishlist and “is deemed to be the best player and best fit for the Warriors among the players who could potentially be available this offseason.”
The “be available” stipulation is certainly a big one. Beal and the Wizards have been rumored to be headed for a divorce for years, but the strong end to last season might have both parties wanting to run it back next year with Russell Westbrook.
Any trade for a player of Beal’s caliber — he finished second to only Curry last year with 31.3 points per game, made third team All-NBA, and was selected to the All-Star Game for the third time — would likely include Wiggins, Wiseman, both of this year’s lottery picks, and at least one future pick. And while some might wonder how the fit would be with Beal, given that he’s been pretty awful defensively the last few years, it’s the offense that needs fixing right now and … yeah, I think a trio of Curry, Beal, and Thompson would do just fine. Green might just mess around and average double-digit assists.
As exciting as the thought of Beal wearing a Warriors jersey is, it’s still very unlikely to happen. So let’s check in on another thing that Marcus Thompson II snuck into the report. Curry, Klay, and Green have, according to Thompson, “made it clear to management they want the franchise to focus on the pursuit of a championship, even to consider using their two lottery picks to get someone who can help immediately, sources confirmed.”
It’s no surprise that the stars feel that way, but putting a little pressure on management could be just the nudge that is needed.
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