Brooklyn Nets: Three potential Bradley Beal trades
The Best-Case
2020-21 Cap Numbers Are In Millions in Parenthesis (Courtesy of Spotrac)
BROOKLYN RECEIVES: Bradley Beal (28.7), Jerome Robinson (3.7), Isaac Bonga (1.6)
WASHINGTON RECEIVES: Caris LeVert (16.2), Jarrett Allen (3.9), Taurean Prince (13.9), 2021 and 2023 Unprotected First Round Picks
This is a best-case trade for an NBA superstar post-Paul George to the Clippers trade. In that swap, the Thunder were able to net an astounding FIVE firsts on top of two further pick swaps. Consider those 2021 and 2023 firsts gone, fully unprotected (the Stepien Rule dictates teams cannot trade firsts in back to back years).
So too are Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen.
Perhaps Irving’s late-season absence was a blessing in disguise for the Nets, as it showcased LeVert’s ability to operate as a lead scorer without two shoot-first guards by his side (those Irving-Dinwiddie-LeVert sets did not quite fit).
Highlighted by a splendid 51-point outing in Boston, the Wizards will likely consider the former Michigan Wolverine as a like-for-like replacement.
Related Story. Caris LeVert’s breakout performance in Boston. light
Allen, meanwhile, is an analytics darling. His 7.1 win shares rank 16th in the entire NBA (not a typo). The Wizards can surely drool over a future three-man frontcourt rotation of Allen, Rui Hachimura, and Thomas Bryant, especially if they can lockup Allen to an extension this offseason.
So why is this trade the best-case? The Nets would be in dreamland if they found another team to take a bite on Taurean Prince’s 3-and-D potential. His 2019-20 three-point field goal percentage (33.9 percent) or Defensive Box P/M (-0.1) indicate that perhaps he may not be living up to his billing.
The Prince extension is Marks’s primary black-mark over his tenure as GM, one he would surely take back if he could. FanSided’s own Collin Loring noted just how poor Prince has been this season.
"“And he’s posting an offensive rating of 95 points per 100 possessions, which is, low to say the least. Per Basketball-Reference, Prince is one of just two players averaging 12 or more points to post a 95 or lower offensive rating. The other? Rookie guard RJ Barrett.”"
If the Wizards think Prince is capable of producing better, they may be willing to take him as a price to receive the rest of Brooklyn’s bounty. Hence why the Nets need to sweeten the pot with two unprotected picks.
This trade is also vested on the premise the Nets 2020 First Rounder does not fall between 1-14, in which case their 2021 pick would likely go to Minnesota (via Atlanta, thanks to Allen Crabbe).