The New Orleans Pelicans are in perhaps the best position of any team in the league to pull off a blockbuster trade. A mixture of successful young players at multiple stages of development and a bevy of draft capital mean few teams will be able to put together a better package than the Pelicans could should an enticing player be made available.
Washington Wizard guard Bradley Beal is expected to eventually be that type of player on the trade market. After signing an extension early last season, Beal will be trade-eligible in the upcoming off-season and with the Wizards in the early stages of a rebuild, Beal could accelerate that process by bringing in prospects and draft picks.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania joined Complex’s Load Management podcast on Monday to discuss a host of topics. Beal’s name came up and Charania discussed some teams that could be in the race for him.
“The Heat were a team as well that had interest. The Heat, the Lakers, New Orleans, those are the teams that I heard.”
Beal could be the final piece that would put the Pelicans over the top but would come at a hefty price. Considering how New Orleans current lineup is situated, it would likely cost the team one of Brandon Ingram or Lonzo Ball to fit Beal into the lineup. Potentially, they could keep both players and bring one of those two, likely Ball, off the bench but that brief experiment wasn’t successful this season.
It is unquestionable that Beal would make the Pelicans better but would the team be able to pull off a deal that wouldn’t cost them one of Ball or Ingram?
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