Washington Wizards: How trading Bradley Beal to the Sixers would work

Washingon Wizards trading the hard way

With both Simmons and Embiid off the table, a deal for Bradley Beal becomes much more difficult for a multitude of reasons. The first is relatively mundane but a critical consideration for both parties.

As stated before the Sixers are above the luxury tax threshold which makes taking on any more salary incredibly difficult. The Sixers would need to send the Wizards close to $28 million in salary for the trade to be approved by the league office.

The Wizards could theoretically take on more than $28 million but that would mean the Sixers would have to offer even more assets for the Wizards to be so kind to take on additional salary. While the financial aspect is the biggest hold-up, the talent that Philadelphia has to offer is also uninspiring.

Tobias Harris could find himself as the odd man out in Philadelphia due to his large salary but would the Wizards even want him? Tobias Harris is not a bad player but he is owed $148 million over the next four seasons.

Harris’s contract is one of the least desirable in the league, which is a shame for a player who is coming off a season where he averaged 19.6 points per game. If the Wizards were to take on such an albatross of a contract the Sixers would have to add a ton of sweeteners to have any chance at a deal.

The Sixers made five selections in the 2020 draft and own most of their upcoming first-round picks. To get Beal they’ll likely have to depart with at least three first-round picks, multiple pick swaps, and a treasure trove of second-round picks. Even with all of those picks, the Wizards may not believe that is enough to depart with Beal.

A core of Bradley Beal, Joel Embiid, and Ben Simmons, due to their age and ability, is not going to be picking in the lottery anytime soon. The Wizards would be getting saddled with another bad contract in Tobias Harris and would have a steady stream of picks in the 20s just to give up their best player.