The NBA offseason is in full swing after the Nuggets recently won the 2022-23 championship, which means that now is the time to make moves to improve your roster, whether through this summer’s draft or free agency.
The Heat, who lost to the Nuggets, are going to have a long look at their roster because they were exposed in the finals, so they might make a big move this summer to boost their NBA 2023 odds for next season.
Miami are said to be keeping tabs on Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard, as the two veteran scorers might be on their way out of Washington and Portland, respectively.
Meanwhile, Zion Williamson’s time in New Orleans could be cut short amid his problems off the court, and rival teams will keep a close eye on him.
Here are the newest NBA 2023 updates, courtesy of SBOTOP.
Wizards working with Beal for a possible trade
The Wizards are reportedly open to listening to trade scenarios for Bradley Beal, but dealing him to another team is quite a tricky situation.
Beal just completed the first season of a five-year, $251 million contract that he signed last summer. He’s the only current player to have a no-trade clause, which means that he has full control of his destiny when the Wizards decide to trade him.
Because he’s in his prime at 29 years old, playing for a contender makes sense for Beal. He has played his entire 11-year career with Washington, where he became one of the league’s best shot creators.
The Heat are interested in acquiring Beal, and it’s not hard to see why. Miami are one elite scorer away from possibly winning the championship, and Beal perfectly fits the description.
The three-time All-Star is fresh from back-to-back subpar campaigns in Washington, primarily due to injuries. After averaging a career-high 31.3 points per game in 2020-21, Beal saw his scoring average drop to 23.2 points per game in each of the last two seasons.
Besides the Beal situation, the Wizards are also awaiting player-option decisions from Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis, as both could become unrestricted free agents if they opt out.
Given their lack of playoff success these past few seasons, now may be the right time for the Wizards to start their rebuild.
Blazers considering letting Lillard go
Damian Lillard is another player that the Heat want, given his ability to make shots. Like Beal, Lillard is in a tough situation in Portland and is increasingly frustrated with their lack of playoff success.
The Blazers also have to make a big decision this summer. They could either continue competing with Lillard or trade him away in order to start rebuilding.
If they decide to stick with Lillard, the Blazers have the third overall pick of this summer’s draft and Anfernee Simons available to them as trade bait.
However, they have an intriguing young core, headlined by Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe, and the third selection, if they decide to trade Lillard and start a rebuild.
Lillard mentioned some teams he may want to go to when he recently appeared on Showtime’s “The Last Stand”. He said that he wouldn’t mind going to either the Nets or Heat, given his relationships with Mikal Bridges and Bam Adebayo.
The Celtics and Knicks were also floated around as potential destinations, but Lillard wasn’t too keen on joining them.
After an injury-plagued campaign in 2021-22, Lillard bounced back this season with averages of 32.2 points, 7.3 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game, and he was also named to the All-Star team for the seventh time in his career.
Pelicans open to shop Williamson
The Pelicans are rumoured to covet Scoot Henderson, who is expected to be a top-three pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. But in order to get him, they would reportedly consider trading Zion Williamson, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
New Orleans own the No. 14 pick, so Williamson and other assets could be enough to give them the chance to select Henderson.
Henderson just played his second and final season with Ignite in the G League with averages of 16.5 points, 6.5 assists, and 5.4 rebounds per game.
Williamson, on the other hand, played only 29 games last season, averaging 29.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game.
He has been limited by injuries these past few seasons, and he is once again in the middle of controversy for allegedly having an affair with an adult film star while he was in a relationship with his girlfriend, Ahkeema, who recently announced that she is bearing his child.
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