The Miami Heat are looking to make a win-now move in the form of trading for Washington Wizards star guard Bradley Beal.
The Heat and Beal have been connected throughout the offseason, with Beal’s reluctance to sign the three-year, $111 million the Wizards offered just over a month ago serving as a potential sign that Beal’s time in the nation’s capital is waning.
On Wednesday, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald offered an update on the matter, saying that Beal is still weighing his options. One option that Beal is certainly expected to consider, is to try to find a way to end up in South Florida.
“Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal, a top Heat target as 2021 free agency approaches, hasn’t decided whether to accept Washington’s three-year, $111 million extension or what his long-term future holds, an associate said this week,” Jackson wrote.
Jackson went on to discuss Miami’s chances of landing the star.
“But if Beal decides to move on from Washington and become a free agent in 2021, the associate — who requested anonymity because he’s not authorized to speak on Beal’s behalf — said he expects the Heat to receive serious consideration,” he wrote.
The 2021 offseason seems like an epoch away, but a lot can happen between then and now. For instance, if Beal makes it clear that he wants to end up in Miami and does not intend to sign an extension, the Wizards may feel compelled to ship him to the Heat in order to get some return rather than none at all.
It’s up for Heat team president Pat Riley and the rest of the front office to figure out a way to get that done.
While there are still a plethora of moving pieces, one thing is clear: The Beal-related rumors in Miami are far from over.