Bradley Beal trade: What NBA insiders are saying about most likely destinations

Bradley Beal is not the first NBA player to get paid then go ring shopping. Apparently, he's just the latest. 

Reports surfaced Wednesday that Beal and the Washington Wizards have agreed to work on moving him if new GM Michael Winger acts on the leeway from owner Ted Leonsis to rebuild. And based on the teams that league sources say are on Beal’s short list — the Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks or Boston Celtics — he doesn’t just want to go to a better team. He wants to go to one of the best.

The timing is hardly a surprise. With title-contending teams assessing what they need to compete with the newly crowned Denver Nuggets, and with the 2023 NBA Draft a week away, it makes sense for Beal and his agent, Mark Bartelstein, to make it clear that they are open for business now.  

And make no mistake, Bartelstein and Beal are in charge. Beal signed a five-year, $251 million deal last summer that includes a no-trade clause and a 15% trade kicker, which means the Wizards can only move him to a team with his approval. He becomes eligible to be traded on July 6, one year after signing that massive contract.

"The no-trade clause gives them all the power," one rival Eastern Conference executive said.

[2023 NBA odds: Bradley Beal's next team, including Heat, Lakers, Nets]

The report on Beal’s potential availability comes two months after former GM Tommy Sheppard was fired and a week after Winger — Sheppard's replacement and the former Clippers GM — said at his introductory news conference that he has "full authority to reset" a roster that went 35-47 last season.

The Heat are an obvious choice. Reaching the Finals proved they are legitimate contenders, while the way they lost to the Nuggets — failing to score more than 95 points in four of the five games — made it clear they could use a scorer of Beal’s ability. Beal hasn’t averaged less than 22 points a game over the last seven seasons, and the last time he and the Wizards were in the playoffs two years ago, he averaged 30 in a first-round loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. He nearly won the 2020-21 scoring title, narrowly losing out to Steph Curry. Portland star Damian Lillard has also been rumored as a potential Heat target after Lillard indicated if he left the Blazers, the Heat would be one of his preferred destinations.

Miami is sure to have competition for Beal’s services, starting with the Bucks, one Eastern Conference GM said. He suggested Milwaukee would love to move on from their incumbent go-to scorer Khris Middleton, who has struggled to stay healthy. Middleton only played in 33 regular-season games this past season — 14 of them off the bench — and averaged only 15 points, his lowest in the last six seasons. The impact of his injuries has been particularly noticeable at the defensive end, where he has had career-low ratings three years in a row.

"Milwaukee makes sense," the East GM said. "They have a max guy [Middleton] they don’t like, nor want to pay."

Middleton’s contract would go a long way toward matching Beal’s in a swap, if Middleton exercises his player option that would pay him $40 million next season. If he opts out, he becomes a free agent. He has until June 21 to decide. Beal is set to make $47 million next season as part of a five-year, $251 million deal he signed last summer.

The challenge for anyone looking to acquire Beal is providing the Wizards the assets needed to rebuild — young talent and draft picks — while still matching Beal’s salary for the upcoming season. Indications are Winger would be looking for young talent capable of competing right away. 

"I would be extremely surprised if we were one of those bottom-out type teams," Winger said. "It’s just not in my DNA."

The two Los Angeles teams also could be attractive, one Western Conference assistant GM said. Winger obviously is familiar with the Clippers’ roster and the Lakers have made it clear they are looking to make another upgrade in hopes of squeezing one more title run out of Anthony Davis and 38-year-old LeBron James.

While one Eastern Conference executive named both the Heat and New York Knicks as potential destinations, an executive familiar with Beal’s thinking dismissed the Knicks, even though a backcourt of Beal and Jalen Brunson would certainly be tantalizing, and the Knicks have the trade pieces to make it work.

"The other teams are ahead of New York in terms of championship pedigree," he said.

He listed Milwaukee, Miami and Boston as the suitors with the best chance of landing Beal. The Celtics having been to the Finals last year, the Eastern Conference finals this year, and a long-standing relationship between All-Star forward Jayson Tatum and Beal, both St. Louis natives, puts them in the running.

"Tatum and Beal are boys," he said. "Tatum played on the same Elite EYBL team."  

Whatever happens in the next few weeks, the current buzz makes it clear that the top teams in the East are intent on restocking, with the next conference representative hoping to go a lot less quietly in the Finals. 

Whoever it might be that ultimately gets there, the race has already begun. 

Ric Bucher is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He previously wrote for Bleacher Report, ESPN The Magazine and The Washington Post and has written two books, "Rebound," on NBA forward Brian Grant’s battle with young onset Parkinson’s, and "Yao: A Life In Two Worlds." He also has a daily podcast, "On The Ball with Ric Bucher." Follow him on Twitter @RicBucher.