The Knicks’ 3 biggest competitors for Bradley Beal

The Knicks are approaching the part of the season when teams start to realize whether or not they are contenders or pretenders. This is when trades start to happen. The teams that have legit shots at the title will go for broke to get that missing piece. The teams that are going nowhere will look to get ahead start on their rebuild.

This season has been one of the most competitive ones in a long time. There isn’t a single team that has started tanking yet. But regardless there are 3 teams whose season is essentially over; Detroit, Minnesota, and Washington.

Of the players available for trade on those teams, the only one the Knicks would covet is Bradley Beal. But what would the Knicks have to give up to acquire Beal? It’s difficult to know, especially as a fan. When us fans think up trade scenarios, most rarely come to fruition. The reason is simple: Fans don’t take into account what other teams are willing to offer.

While there might be some fans that are against trading for Beal for numerous reasons, let’s take a look at what the other suitors could offer.

The teams that are in contention for a title will be the ones willing to offer the most generous trade packages because the next two seasons might be their only shot to win a title. Those teams are Denver, Golden State, and Miami.

Let’s look at what these teams would be willing to offer for Beal so we as Knick fans understand what we would have to offer.

The Denver Nuggets’ trade offer

The Nuggets surprised many by getting to the Western Conference Finals last season. But it was clear that they were not a threat to knock off the Lakers. This season the Nuggets are off to a slow start and the other teams in the West considered contenders have improved. So the Nuggets have to decide if they are willing to go all in. The Nuggets are in a good position to acquire a star as they have plenty of assets.

Denver has young players, solid vets and draft picks they could offer Washington to kick start their rebuild. They are armed with plenty of valuable players, but the centerpiece of the deal would be Michael Porter Jr.(MPJ), a young player with star potential. They can also offer R.J. Hampton, a rookie guard with lots of potential as well.

In this scenario Washington gets all types of assets; an exciting young player still on a rookie deal (MPJ), a promising rookie in R.J. Hampton, an established vet on a short deal in Gary Harris, and draft capital with two 1st round picks.

This is certainly a respectable package, as Michael Porter Jr. is one of the most highly regarded young scorers in the NBA today. This would give the Wizards an already established young player, a high-ceiling prospect in Hampton, a solid shooter in his prime in Gary Harris, and multiple draft picks for the future. This trade could take the Nuggets to the next level.

The Golden State Warriors’ trade offer

The Warriors don’t have a young player like Michael Porter to offer, as James Wiseman seems to be untouchable, but they do have draft capital. While Golden State might not control their 2021 pick which is top 20 protected, they own Minnesota’s, which has the worst record in the NBA. The Timberwolves’ pick is top 3 protected, so there is a 60% chance it lands in the 4 or 5th spot. If it doesn’t convert this season then it rolls over to 2022 with no protections. This could land the Wizards two top 5 picks in a stacked draft. So they would get multiple chances at a franchise player. If they are lucky they hit on both.

The Warriors would also include two unprotected 1st round picks along with two pick swaps. The 2023 pick would replace the 1st round pick they sent to Houston in the Russell Westbrook deal. Washington over the next 5 seasons would end up with a total of seven 1st round picks and two-pick swaps.

In this scenario, Andrew Wiggins would also go to the Wizards to match salaries. Last season, the inclusion of Wiggins would be considered a deal stopper, but that is not necessarily the case now.

Andrew Wiggins’ game has improved since coming to Golden State. Being in a winning environment, getting great coaching, and playing with Steph Curry has helped him learn how to play winning basketball. This season he is average 17.7 ppg, shooting 37.3% on 3-pointers, and has an effective field goal of 53.5%. He has also become an elite defender as Tony Pesta from Blue Man Hoop explains.

Washington, one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA would welcome the addition of Wiggins. After this season Wiggins’ contract will have 2yrs/$65M left on it. The question is whether the Wizards think it’s still too rich for them.

The Miami Heat’s trade offer

The last team we will look at before discussing the Knicks is the Miami Heat. The defending Eastern Conference champs have gotten off a rough start through no fault of their own. They have been one of the teams most impacted by Covid-19. The impact of games missed due to Covid coupled with a slew of injuries has hindered them this season. However, they appear to finally be getting healthy and do not have much ground to make up as they are only a couple of games out of a playoff spot.

The Heat’s offer would be centered around 2nd-year guard Tyler Herro who is one of the more exciting young players in the NBA. Herro is a dynamic scorer with plenty of potential to become a star in the NBA.

Miami would also include their other young sharpshooter Duncan Robinson and a 1st round pick, but not until 2025 due to the Stepien Rule. I could see the Heat willing to add some pick swaps as well. Meyers Leonard and Kelly Olynyk would be included in order to match salaries, which works well since Washington could easily flip them both for assets due to their contract status.

The Heat would now have a new Big 3: Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Bradley Beal. That would be enough to compete with the Lakers. Beal would provide the Heat with a level of scoring that they do not have, and he could get them over the hump after they came so close last season. The question is: Will Washington want to send Beal to their division rival?

The New York Knicks’ trade offer

Now that you have seen what the market is for Beal, does it make sense to trade for him? The Denver and Miami offers are the best because they include exciting young players on rookie deals: Michael Porter Jr. and Tyler Herro. The Warriors could offer the highest potential pick, Minnesota’s 2021 1st round pick (top 3 protected).

• Nuggets: Michael Porter Jr., R.J. Hampton, two 1st rd. picks 2021 & 2024 (top 3 protected), Gary Harris
• Warriors: Wolves 2021 1st (top 3 protected), GSW 1st rd. picks( 2023 & 2024), & pick swaps
• Heat: Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, GSW 1st rd. pick 2025, Kelly Olynyk, and Meyers Leonard

If the Knicks want Beal they need to offer up either R. Barrett or Immanuel Quickley. While RJ has the higher upside, Quickley is a better fit alongside Westbrook, who doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. Quickley is also a local kid, which would have some appeal to the Wizards as it would help alleviate the sting of losing Wall and Beal in the same season. Immanuel Quickley also makes almost 4 times less ($2.1M) per season than R.J, ($8.2M). Below is what I envision the Knicks would have to offer.

The Knicks can offer a good young player, but not as heralded as Porter Jr, or Herro. Washington’s choice: Barrett or Quickley. The Knicks can also include Obi Toppin who is expendable because of Randle’s play.

They can include three 1st round picks: Both Dallas picks and their own 2022 pick. They would also throw in Kevin Knox and Frank Ntilikina mostly for salary cap reasons, but they are also still young prospects. Kev just turned 21 and Frank is only 22 years old. It’s likely that the Knicks will probably have to include some pick swaps to make the trade look similar to the Harden deal.

Washington’s decision

The Wizards essentially would have their pick of the following young players: Porter Jr., Herro, Barrett, or Quickley. They could also get 2nd young player: Duncan Robinson, Obi Toppin, or R.J. Hampton. Also multiple draft picks — Some might be in this year’s lottery.

The question is what does Beal want? If he indicates that he will only sign an extension with 1 particular team, then that one team could get him for less. I anticipate that Denver and Miami will be willing to take the risk if they are not one of those teams.

The question for the Knicks is, would a core of Beal, Randle, Mitch, and 1 of Barrett or Quickley be worth giving up the assets?