Bucks are potential landing spot for Wizards’ Bradley Beal

The Milwaukee Bucks might be in on the Bradley Beal sweepstakes.

With the news that Wizards guard Bradley Beal is likely available in trades leading up to the 2023 NBA Draft, the Milwaukee Bucks have been linked to the star as a potential suitor, The Athletic reported on Thursday.

Beal, a three-time All-Star, averaged 23.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game for a Washington team that finished 12th in the Eastern Conference this season.

With the team seemingly stuck in basketball purgatory, new general manager Michael Winger has the green light to blow up and rebuild the roster — a process that likely starts with Beal.

The Athletic reported that Beal and the Wizards indeed “intend to work together” on a trade to a contender if the team does indeed go ahead with a rebuild.

Beal has the second-largest contract in the NBA, averaging more than $50 million per year for the next five seasons.

For a team in Milwaukee that was a top-10 scoring offense in the regular season, an addition of Beal becomes an intriguing proposition, especially with Jrue Holiday coming off a career year where he averaged 19.3 points per game.

If the Bucks want to infuse more offense into an already-loaded club, they could use Beal as an off-guard that excels in catch-and-shoot situations and as a secondary playmaker alongside Holiday and star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

Over the last four seasons, the 29-year-old Beal has averaged only 51 games played after becoming the undisputed top option for the Wizards with the departure of guard John Wall, so playing with other stars could help his load management.

He failed to play more than 60 games in each of the last four seasons, including a career-low of 40 games in 2021-22 due to a wrist injury.

But a fresh start with Milwaukee could put Beal in the best position to win a championship.