Report: Golden State Warriors would trade everything for Bradley Beal
By Tony Pesta
Recently, Joe Lacob stated that a blockbuster trade would be unlikely for the Golden State Warriors this summer. Now, according to a source reported by NBC Sports — the reason for that unlikelihood is because the Dubs are only interested in one player, who isn’t currently available to them.
We’ve talked for months about various stars the Warriors could target with their Godfather package. Ben Simmons, Damian Lillard and Pascal Siakam have all been mentioned. However, NBC Sports is speculating that the player Golden State truly wants is Washington Wizards’ guard Bradley Beal.
So, what’s the hold-up? The Dubs have more than enough assets to flip in a hypothetical deal for Bradley. Well, reports have consistently shown Beal has no intentions of requesting a trade out of Washington. Apparently, this might be the only reason Golden State has refrained from trading some of their most lucrative assets.
The Golden State Warriors have their heart set on Bradley Beal, who likely won’t become available to them anytime soon.
Beal comes with some obvious pros and cons. He’s a high-powered offensive threat who helps push the Dubs into elite company in terms of scoring. Few squads would be able to keep up with the offensive onslaught that comes with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Beal being on the floor together.
Problems emerge once you get to the other half of the court, however. Beal, an undersized guard, would leave the Dubs vulnerable defensively. What’s more, losing Andrew Wiggins would make them even more short-staffed on this end. Even worse, Thompson is not in a position to carry a heavy load defensively due to his recent injuries.
For these reasons, this report is a bit surprising. If the Warriors were truly holding out for one specific player, I’d have imagined it would be someone such as Kawhi Leonard, who is a more natural fit. Even if they were okay with taking on another undersized guard, one would assume Lillard would be at the top of their wish list.
Nevertheless, Golden State has doubled down on their approach to rebuilding for the future while competing in the present. It will be interesting to see how this strategy plays out next season.