Will These Big NBA Superstars Be Traded This Off-Season?
Updated: Sep 10, 2023
Will these NBA stars finally be traded this season?
NBA superstars Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal have been in trade rumors ever since both of their teams haven’t been a contender. Yet, they have still stayed loyal to their team and signed max extensions. This season, the Blazers are leaning towards shutting down Damian Lillard for the year, and the Wizards won’t even make the play-in tournament. Will these two NBA superstars be traded this off-season?
Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard has reportedly voiced that he wants to stay with the Blazers, however, at this point, it does not make sense for both sides. The Blazers have tried building contenders around Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, but they haven’t been able to break through to the finals. Two seasons back the Blazers officially gave up on the era and traded McCollum to the Pelicans. This year, the Blazers are multiple games out of the play-in spot and are leaning toward shutting Dame down for the year.
This may mark the end of the Damian Lillard era for the Blazers. Damian Lillard has averaged over 24 points throughout the last eight seasons. Dame has shown no signs of regression this year and is averaging 32 points on 46% from the field and 37% from three. Dame is a superstar and his value is still very high around the league it makes the most sense to trade him now before his value starts to dimmer.
Dame at this point in his career would be a fantastic number two scoring option, and can elevate a team that is one piece away from being a contender. A potential good fit would be the Heat. They need a veteran presence at the guard position, ideally to replace Kyle Lowry. Dame is a superstar who could help the Heat compete with the elite teams in the East.
Bradley Beal
Bradley Beal signed an extension just last season. The deal was five years worth 250 million and a no-trade clause. Bradley Beal was loyal to the Wizards throughout his career and was rewarded with this large contract. Bradley Beal is a superstar, but he cannot be a number-one option on a championship team. Beal broke out in 2021 averaging 31 points per game. For his career, Beal has averaged 22 points on 46% shooting from the field.
Similarly to Dame, the Wizards keeping Bradley Beal does not make sense. Beal will be 30 soon and the Wizards are nowhere near being a contending team. Pieces like Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis are due for contracts soon and it’s unlikely that they will return to the Wizards. The Wizards need to clear the deck and start tanking to get a high pick. Bradley Beal needs to be traded as it makes the most sense for both sides.
Beal isn’t a superstar who can carry a team, but he is a great number-two scoring option. He will command multiple first-round picks and young assets in a trade. An ideal fit would be the Heat. The Heat have two stars in Jimmy Butler and potential superstar Bam Adebayo, and they can send Tyler Herro in a trade package. Beal gives Miami the star power they need.
The Heat have constantly been in rumors for stars, so Beal or Dame would be good fits for the superstars. The Clippers would also be an interesting option. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have struggled to stay healthy and play games, so they may try and get Beal to get another star. However, this trade may be unlikely as the Clippers are not in a good cap situation and don’t have many trade assets after the Paul George trade unless Beal specifically wants to play for the Clippers.
Follow StadiumRantHQ on Twitter. Check out our other articles @Stadium Rant. Are you an NFL fan? Have some takes you want to get out into the world? This is the place because we have plenty of opportunities at Stadium Rant spanning the whole NFL and more!