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3 trades the Houston Rockets need to make for Bradley Beal

By N.B. Lindberg

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 31: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards reacts during the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Capital One Arena on January 31, 2021 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 31: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards reacts during the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Capital One Arena on January 31, 2021 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /
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Houston Rockets
Ben McLemore #16 of the Houston Rockets (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) /

Houston Rockets for Bradley Beal: Trade #3

The Washington Wizards have not made Bradley Beal available, nor has Beal demanded a trade, but with a 6-16 record the franchise might decide to take the plunge and move the one player they have that has any real value. The Wizards will want serious draft pick compensation and two first-round picks plus two pick swaps will form the basis of the deal.

The Rockets don’t have the type of young All-Star caliber talent that the Wizards would ideally be interested in, but Victor Oladipo and Ben McLemore are both good NBA players and have the salary to make the deal work. In reality, the Wizards would likely turn this into a three or four-team trade that sends one or both of these players to another team.

Depending on what the Wizards are able to get for Oladipo and McLemore they could end up amassing four first-round picks and two swaps for Bradley Beal, which would be right in line with what the Rockets got for Harden. The interesting part of the deal will be which assets the Wizards want from the Rockets.

Will the Wizards prioritize the Nets picks in 2024 and 2026 or would they rather take some of Houston’s picks to diversify their asset cupboard. The Rockets will want to send the Nets’ pick for 2022 and one of their own from either this season or next.

What could make negotiations interesting is that the Rockets received a 2023 protected first-round pick from the Wizards when they exchanged John Wall for Russell Westbrook. The pick is top-15 protected in 2023, top-13 protected in 2024, top-11 protected in 2025, top-nine protected in 2026, and converts to a second-round pick in 2027.

The Rockets might be able to repackage that pick back to Washington as a way of mitigating risk for a franchise that could still be in the middle of a rebuild in 2026. The overall draft pick compensation in this deal is not the complicated part, it’s which picks will be included that could make negotiations tense.

Next: Trade #2

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