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4 reasons why trading for Bradley Beal would be bad for the Cleveland Cavaliers

By Chad Porto

Dec 3, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) rolls into the crowd after being fouled by Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) during the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) rolls into the crowd after being fouled by Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) during the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 25, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) holds his head after colliding with Cleveland Cavaliers center Isaiah Hartenstein (not pictured) in the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 25, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) holds his head after colliding with Cleveland Cavaliers center Isaiah Hartenstein (not pictured) in the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Age/Timeline

Bradley Beal will be 29 years old in a manner of weeks. Yes, guys like Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio are older, and they’re both guys I’ve advocated for keeping and bringing back, so why am I ok with two early-30 somethings compared to Beal? Simple, Beal would be a/the star of the team, while Love and Rubio are roleplayers off the bench.

You’re not getting a prime Beal in this trade, and you’re giving up two assets who haven’t hit their primes yet. So if you’re going all-in on Beal it should be for a good reason, like desperation. You’re desperate to make the playoffs because you know your team isn’t that good.

That’s where the conversation ends, as the Cavs are a good team and are not desperate for Beal. By moving on from two young players like Collin Sexton and Lauri Markkanen, not only are you replacing them with an older player and creating depth issues, but you’re also messing with the team’s timeline.

With Sexton and Markkanen the Cavs have a much longer window of competition than with Beal. Beal would fit alongside much better a team like Chicago, Phoenix, or Miami, squads over-relying on older players to produce. There is no DeMar Derozan, Chris Paul, or Jimmy Butler you need to max out your squad to win a title in the next year or two. You have time with the Cavs.

You lose that time if you trade for Beal.

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