Should the Warriors switch to Washington Wizards star guard Bradley Beal?
According to Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer, the answer is unmistakably …
… absolutely.
“Golden State has to live in the moment,” writes Tjarks. “Your main priority must be to keep [Steph] Curry happy, and he can’t be happy to see his team planning a future without him while his colleagues set up super teams. His team has the chips to create the next NBA power, and those chips will never be as valuable as they are now. Beal is not yet on the market. But he will be soon. It’s time for the Golden State to bet everything. “
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Tjarks analyzed several different commercial packages that could possibly make a deal between the two teams. All of them are built around James Wiseman and the valuable choice of the first round of 2021 (the first three protégés) that the Warriors have through the Minnesota Timberwolves.
One scenario includes sending Andrew Wiggins to the Wizards.
“This deal would yield Washington a large amount of provisional assets,” writes Tjarks. “The Wizards could take a lot to get him out of Golden State books, as he has little value for a reconstruction team.”
So, would the Warriors send Wiggins, Wiseman, Minny pick and other future first-round players and / or pick swaps in exchange for Beal? That seems a lot for the Golden State to give up.
Wiseman had the best game of his career on Wednesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, accumulating 25 points (9 out of 14 on the field, 3 out of 3 out of 3), six rebounds and two blocks. He was also excellent in defense.
But Tjarks’ point is that the 19-year-old does not fully align with the current Golden State championship window.
“Wiseman, with all his potential, doesn’t really fit with Curry and [Draymond] Green. It took less than a month to lose his place on the starting lineup, “he writes.” There are problems on both sides of the ball. Like all great young men, he is still learning to play defense at the NBA level. This learning curve can take years. “
But what if he makes big strides this season and is ready to be a formidable presence consistently next season, when Klay Thompson returns and the Warriors are theoretically legitimate contenders for the title again?
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As for Wiggins, he’s playing the best two-way basketball of his career, and parting ways with him would leave a huge void in terms of the Warriors’ ability to protect the elite NBA wings.
Finally, Beal is having an incredible season so far – 35.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game, while shooting 48 percent overall and almost 37 percent beyond arc (in 7.2 attempts). The two-time All-Star is only 27 and is under contract until the 2021-22 season (he has a $ 37.3 million player option in 2022-23 that will certainly be turned down). Beal would certainly succeed with the Warriors. There is no denying that.
We will bookmark this conversation for the time being and revisit it as the March 25 negotiation deadline approaches.
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