Bradley Beal’s decision could have monumental impact on Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are going to look to repeat as NBA Champions next season, but there’s quite a bit of unknown on the horizon. Stars will switch teams this offseason, and Wizards’ Bradley Beal is one of the players with a question mark next to his name.
His decision could pose a hurdle for Golden State. Where he’ll play next season is entirely on him as he has a player option worth $37 million which he could turn down and become an unrestricted free agent.
The Golden State Warriors need to keep an eye on Washington Wizards’ star Bradley Beal as he could shake up the NBA with his free agency decision.
Beal, per The Athletic (subscription required), said he’s made up his mind regarding his future. In the eye of most, that should have a few meanings.
Meaning one could be that he’s ready to test the market which is a viable way to think about that. Meaning two is that Beal is committed to Washington and would likely just want to ensure they would be ready to improve their roster if he does stick around.
Given the vagueness and how that conversation should’ve gone had he been dedicated to Washington, I think it’s safe to assume it’s more likely that Beal is ready to test the free agency waters.
If that’s the case, the Warriors could be in for a major surprise. There are several teams in the Western Conference that either have the cap space or have the ability to free up the cap space necessary to bring in a Beal-like talent.
Portland is the main threat here. The combination of Beal and Damian Lillard would pose a major threat. Jusuf Nurkic would also provide size and scoring in the paint. Lillard will need a running partner soon as the Trail Blazers traded away CJ McCollum.
The time is ticking for Portland, and Beal makes perfect sense as they would have one of the best backcourts in the NBA with the pair. Beal averaged over 30 points per game in 2 of the last 3 seasons. He’s one of the league’s best scorers, as is Lillard.
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Denver, Dallas, and Los Angeles (Lakers) should also be seen as reasonable landing places for Beal although Portland makes the most sense. If he leaves, any of those four either add or strengthen a West contender, something to keep an eye on.