Five potential trade partners for Bradley Beal, Wizards

The only player in the NBA with a no-trade clause is about to get traded.

New Washington Wizards team president Michael Winger has a plan for the Wizards that isn’t “try to hang around 40 wins and get the No. 8 seed.” The Wizards need to take a step back to take a step forward, and that will mean a Bradley Beal trade. The Wizards’ front office and Beal’s agent Mark Bartelstein are working together to find a deal that works for Washington and makes Beal happy enough that he will waive that no-trade clause. (Although with four years, $207.7 million left on his contract, Beal should be plenty happy regardless.)

Here are five potential trade destinations for Beal, just remember he controls the process and can’t be sent anywhere he doesn’t want to go. I tried to keep these realistic, which is why no Boston on the list. While the Celtics are high on the Vegas lines as a landing spot, the only way it works is a Jaylen Brown sign-and-trade, and Boston rightfully would rather sign and keep the 26-year-old entering his prime instead of getting 29-year-old often injured Beal (and if you think Brown is turning down the supermax contract only the Celtics can give him, you need to put the pipe down).

Here are the five more likely Beal trade destinations (this list is not exhaustive, but it’s a good start).

Miami should be the runaway favorite. This is a franchise Beal has reportedly long had a long interest in joining, a place where he can contend, he jumps to a franchise famed for reviving and extending careers, and gets to live in a warm climate while not paying state taxes. Miami earned their way to the NBA Finals this season, but the loss to Denver exposed the need for more quality shot creation beyond Jimmy Butler. Beal could