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The calls for the Miami Heat to trade for Bradley Beal are raining down from the rafters. They are coming from all angles, including from the mouths of rivals turned analysts like Kendrick Perkins who pleaded for the franchise to trade for the Washington Wizards star.
Perkins spent eight productive seasons as a member of the Boston Celtics and dominated the Heat in the 2010 playoffs. That was before the arrival of LeBron James and the Big Three which ushered in a changing of the guard in the Eastern Conference. The Heat knocked the Celtics out of the playoffs in back-to-back years (2011, 2012). And Miami owns a 13-10 advantage in head-to-head playoff matchups in the Celtics’ rivalry.
Fast forward to the present day where Perkins has gone on to be a critical voice — and largely unbiased analyst — for ESPN since retiring in 2018. On Tuesday, the man known as “Perk” called on the Heat to get a deal done for Beal.
It might be safe to assume that Perkins would prefer if Beal heads to the Philadelphia 76ers. Remember, he made it clear that the Heat had “zero chance” to beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the most recent NBA Finals. He opined it was “Pat Riley versus LeBron James” and the Lakers just wanted the championship more.
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Trading for Beal Requires Assets, Draft Picks
There has been no shortage of reports claiming the Heat have serious interest in Beal. The Ringer‘s Kevin O’Connor claimed they “really want” the Wizards star while The Miami Herald‘s Barry Jackson has been shouting for two years that the “Heat loves Beal.” Compensation appears to be the problem for why a deal hasn’t been finalized.
Miami has no first-round picks to trade until 2025 and Washington is looking for three or four first-rounders in exchange for Beal. Besides, the Wizards guard hasn’t indicated he wants to be moved. The speculation has been based on his body language and the fact the Wizards own the worst record in the Eastern Conference at 3-10. Heat president Pat Riley would need to get extremely creative in a trade scenario, including dangling one or all of the above: Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Kelly Olynyk, Kendrick Nunn, Precious Achiuwa.
Wizards Star Joins Elite List in NBA History
Beal may be stuck on a losing squad but that hasn’t stopped his torrid scoring pace. The two-time All-Star guard is averaging a league-best 34.4 points per game while shooting 48.3% from the field. He dropped 33 points on Tuesday night to become the sixth player in NBA history to score at least 25 points in each of his first 12 games, per ESPN Stats & Info. The list is impressive.
Beal has gone on record saying several times that he wants to finish out his career in D.C. However, the look on his face the other night seemed to indicate otherwise. Is he finally sick of losing? No one knows for sure but there should be a flurry of interest in his services at the trade deadline.
“I’m a loyal guy. I want to be here. I’m here. I’ve signed my extension,” Beal said last October, via Bleacher Report. “And that will mean the world to me. That honestly would you know, being able to finish your career in one place? You know, you don’t see that in today’s game.”
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