How seriously should we take these Bradley Beal to Golden State trade rumors?

Is there any truth to the Bradley Beal to Golden State trade rumors? Typically, I would say no before the question was even finished being asked. If Bleacher Report was the one proposing it, I wouldn’t even waste my breath.

This time, some incredibly credible media sources keep discussing it. Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted about it. Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps did a whole podcast on how a deal might look.

I wondered if this was just wishful thinking on the media’s part or if Wizards fans should take it seriously. To get some more insight I asked my podcast partner Larry Hughes about it on the latest episode of Bleav in Wizards. Hughes has experienced being traded firsthand and been the subject of several other potential trades that didn’t work out.

I recently asked him about a potential trade the media routinely mentioned in 2000. This trade would have sent him from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Glen Rice. It sounded crazy to me that a young lottery pick and defensive stopper could have ended up on the Shaq-Kobe Lakers but Hughes confirmed it was very real. Shaq was a big fan and was urging the team to get the deal done. Ultimately it didn’t pan out. The rumors were credible though.

When I asked Hughes about the Beal to the Warriors rumors and the caliber of people reporting on it, his response was simple, “Where there’s smoke, there’s probably fire.”

He’s not predicting a deal to get done, simply saying that for journalists with that level of insight and access to mention it this many times there are probably real conversations going on.

It makes sense from the Warriors perspective. They’re in win-now mode, nearing the end of their contender window with the current core. They have lots of future-oriented assets and salary to get a big deal done. But does it make sense for the Wizards?

On our show, we didn’t think so — at least not for some of the trade packages mentioned so far.

Hughes sees Andrew Wiggins as a talented young player but for whatever reason it hasn’t fully clicked for him yet. He hasn’t found the right coach to energize and focus him to reach his potential. Because of that he doesn’t think it makes sense for him to be the cornerstone of a Beal trade.

For me, I don’t love anyone in this draft enough to be enticed by the second overall pick. Maybe if the Warriors get desperate enough after a slow start they’ll jack up their offer and it would be worth revisiting. Until then, it’s a hard pass for the Bleav in Wizards crew.

Also on this episode, we talked about whether videos of Devin Vassell’s altered jumpshot should be a red flag for the Wizards and how Obi Toppin would fit with the current roster if he slipped to the ninth pick as several mock drafts are now predicting. In our next episode, we will be discussing the entire free agent center class so if there are any names you want to hear discussed in-depth, just let us know in the comments!

Episode breakdown

John Wall playing spade during a live interview - 1:00

Brad Beal to Golden State - 5:00

Andrew Wiggins in DC - 7:00

Devin Vassell’s wonky looking jumper form - 9:30

Obi Toppin’s fit on the current roster - 13:00

Gary Payton as a Wizards assistant coach? - 18:00

Should the Wizards stick with Tommy Sheppard or go after a bigger name like Daryl Morey - 21:00

Matt Vazzana of the Beltway Sports Bros. Podcast joins the show - 24:00

Free agency and cap space - 25:00

Resigning Davis Bertans - 28:00

Why free agents overlook DC - 30:00

Kelly Olynyk as a Wizard? - 34:00

How would the Arenas/Hughes/Jamison Wizards fare in today’s NBA? - 41:30

Who was more fun to play with in their prime, MJ or LeBron? - 48:00