Is Bradley Beal bound to New York?
Beal remained determined not to quit the Washington Wizards. But an influential New York Knicks manager apparently cooks a Beal trade.
Last week, Michael Kay reported that Knicks’ vice president and senior basketball adviser, William Wesley, better known as World Wide West, is working through channels to land Beal in New York.
‘I got it from a very good source that the Knicks are quietly interested in a Bradley Beal. How is this going to happen? He signed a long-term agreement. He did not say he wanted to trade. But you forget, the Knicks have World Wide West on their side. “He was already in the ears of some of Beal’s people and bumped into them quite a bit that it might be time to trade, ‘Kay said in his ESPN radio program last week.
Brightest star in the biggest market
Beal is not far from his first All-Star kick-off, and is ranked first in fans, media and players’ voices among all Eastern Conference guards. He is the leader in the league with a career high of 32.8 points per game on 47/34/90 shooting division. The 27-year-old star is also busy with the best 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.3 steals. But despite his spectacular numbers, the Wizards are in the bottom three in the East, even though they have won their last three games.
On the other hand, things get rosy in New York. The Knicks are in the playoffs and are fast becoming an attractive destination. New team president Leon Rose, along with Williams and head coach Tom Thibodeau, has dramatically changed the culture of New York.
Calling on Beal in New York is a chance to become the biggest star in the biggest NBA market. And if he wins in New York, it will confirm his basketball legacy.
Aggressive buyer
Along with their early success on the court, a treasure trove of picks and a cap of $ 15 million, the Knicks are in an excellent position to be an aggressive buyer in the trading market.
They own all of their first rounds and two more from Dallas via the Kristaps Porzingis trade. All in all, the Knicks have seven first rounds and eight second rounds through the 2025 NBA draft.
Stefan Bondy of the Daily News reports that the Knicks are also monitoring CJ McCollum’s situation in Portland. But ESPN’s Front Office Insider and Bobby Marks, former general manager of Brooklyn Nets, told Empire Sports Media that the Trail Blazers are not trading with him.
Beal package
If Beal and the Wizards decide to separate, the asking price will be in the James Harden trading district.
Asked what the Wizards could look for in the Knicks in exchange for their long-standing cornerstone, Marks told Empire Sports Media that it would have to give up both first-round picks from Dallas (2021 unprotected, 2023 top-10 protected), a a minimum of two unprotected choices in the first round, swaps and second-year swingman RJ Barrett.
A kind of package could still put the Knicks in a good position in the East with a core of Beal, Randle, Mitchell Robinson and Immanuel Quickley, all of whom are still under 30 years old.
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