The NBA offseason is almost in full swing with the draft next week and free agency on the horizon. It’s always a wild period of the year with superstars on the move. One of those stars appears to be Washington Wizards SG Bradley Beal, who is down to two teams — the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat. That comes after a report from Shams Charania that the two teams are finalists to land Beal via trade. We’ll take a look at the NBA Trade Machine and what a deal involving Beal to the Heat might look like.
NBA Trade Machine: Bradley Beal to Heat
Trade 1: Kyle Lowry, Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, Future picks
Lowry and Robinson help the salaries match up since Beal is making $43 million on his contract. Strus is a free agent and needs a new deal but could sign a deal and get traded as part or have his rights involved. The Heat have most of their future first-round picks, so you’d think at least 1-2 of those could go back to Washington.
Trade 2: Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Future picks
Herro has a new contract that kicks in next season at $27 million. Between that and Robinson’s deal, it should match the salary for Beal. The Wizards get back a younger version of Beal in Herro, who still has time to develop and become a top scorer in the NBA. Robinson fell out of favor in Miami and his contract isn’t great, but it’s another 3-point shooter. Again, a few future firsts get thrown in to pretty much any deal for Beal you would think. This also means the Heat can run Lowry/Gabe Vincent, Beal, Butler, Caleb Martin and Bam Adebayo, which is a very tough starting five to face.
Trade 3: Tyler Herro, Caleb Martin, Victor Oladipo
The Heat may not need to include more than a pick in this deal. This is if the Wizards are being stingy, too. Herro and Martin is a pretty big haul but Beal is also signed through 2025-6 with an option for another season. That would give the Heat another three-year championship window with Butler, Bam and Beal. Miami doesn’t care as much about youth. You can load up, go for a title and deal with the aftermath in four seasons.