All-Star shooting guard Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards had a strong start in the 2021-22 NBA season, making some people believe that they were finally ready to make a huge noise in the Eastern Conference. However, the Wizards have struggled to become consistent with their performance and as the season goes deeper, they find themselves slowly dropping in the Eastern Conference standings. So far, they are out of the playoff race, sitting in the No. 11 spot in the Eastern Conference with a 29-34 record.
Bradley Beal Wants To Be A Sixer
Beal may remain committed to the Wizards but if they suffer another huge disappointment, most people are expecting him to follow in the footsteps of other superstars and start finding his way out of Washington next summer. In a recent appearance on the Rogue Bogues podcast this week, former NBA player Andrew Bogut shared an interesting rumor about Beal.
According to Bogut, Beal is eyeing to form the Philadelphia 76ers' "Big Three" with James Harden and Joel Embiid in the 2022 NBA offseason.
"I've heard a pretty big rumor, bro, from some people that are pretty close to situations in the NBA," Bogut said, as quoted by NBC Sports. "The Big Three to Philly, Brad Beal is trying to get to Philadelphia in the offseason to team up with Harden and [Joel] Embiid."
Realistic Path To Acquiring Bradley Beal
Bringing Beal to Philadelphia won't be easy. As Bogut noted, the Beal-to-Sixers scenario only has one to two percent chance of happening next summer. With their limited salary cap space, they would have to convince the Wizards to engage in a sign-and-trade deal to acquire Beal in the 2022 NBA free agency.
"Philly's desperate, obviously, to try and get off [Tobias] Harris anyway, they have been for a while, and I think they're even more desperate now to free up that cap space somehow," Bogut said. "It'll most likely have to be a sign-and-trade with Philly, but don't be surprised if a Big Three forms in Philly. That's the word on the street."
Proposed Sign-And-Trade Scenario
According to Adam Hermann of NBC Sports, the Sixers could get Beal from the Wizards by sending them a trade package that includes Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, and a 2023 first-round pick. The proposed sign-and-trade scenario would make a lot of sense for the Wizards, especially if Beal is no longer interested in being the face of the franchise. Instead of losing him as an unrestricted free agent without getting anything in return, the suggested deal would enable them to add a solid veteran role player in Harris, a young and promising three-and-D specialist in Thybulle, and a future first-round pick that they could use to add another talented prospect to their roster.
Sixers Forms Lethal Superstar Trio In Philly
Sacrificing Thybulle and a future first-round pick would be a no-brainer for the Sixers, especially if it means acquiring a player of Beal's caliber. The potential addition of Beal would enable the Sixers to form a legitimate "Big Three" in Philadelphia in the 2022-23 NBA season. It would still take time for Beal to familiarize himself with the Sixers' system but once he meshes well with Harden and Embiid, they could become unstoppable on the offensive of the floor.
Beal would give the Sixers another prolific scorer, a decent playmaker, and an elite three-point shooter. This season, he's averaging 23.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.6 assists while shooting 45.1 percent from the field and 30.0 percent from beyond the arc.
]]>The Inquisitr
