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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
Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards, PJ Tucker #17 and Eric Gordon #10 of the Houston Rockets (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

Houston Rockets for Bradley Beal: Trade #2

The Rockets may believe that Victor Oladipo is an integral part of this team’s success and that keeping him is a priority. In order to keep him, while adding Beal, the Rockets will have to give up more draft capital but it could be worth it.

A starting lineup that features John Wall, Victor Oladipo, Bradley Beal, and Christian Wood is going to win a lot of games. The lineup’s combination of shot creation, athleticism, and two-way ability would make the Rockets a force to be reckoned with.

In order to match salaries, the Rockets would have to ship out P.J. Tucker, Eric Gordon, and Dante Exum. Tucker would likely be headed somewhere else but Gordon’s fate is a little trickier.

Eric Gordon, after this season, still has three years and $58.8 million left on his contract. Fortunately, he has rebounded from his dreadful showing last season and is enjoying some of his best basketball.

How the Wizards value his ability and his contract will go a long way in determining if this is the package they go with. Gordon is still productive, can keep the team semi-watchable over the next few seasons, and when his contract is close to expiring he could land a decent return from a contender.

The Rockets will have to give up most of the draft capital they received from the Nets to make this deal work but that is not as exuberant a cost as it seems on the surface. The Nets’ picks with the most value aren’t until 2024 and 2026 along with the swaps in 2025 and 2027.

Four seasons is an eternity in the NBA and there is no way of knowing how good the Nets will be in that time, which determines the picks’ value. The chances that Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving are all still together scorching opponents into their late 30’s in Brooklyn is as good as none of them being there at all in 2024.

The volatility in their value is what makes them so enticing but when you can cash them in for the certainty of Bradley Beal’s 32.8 points per game you do it ten times out of ten. The Wizards, if they move Beal, will be engaging in another drawn-out rebuild but those picks could make all the losing from 2021 to 2023 worth it if the Nets are a mess as the decade comes to a close.

Next: Trade #1

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