Toronto Raptors: Why trading for Bradley Beal makes sense

After getting off to a start to their season, the Toronto Raptors have moved back into a playoff spot with some memorable victories.

The team did take some steps forward offensively while their defence hasn’t found the form that made them successful the past two seasons. At the same time, there is still an element this team sorely lacks and that’s a bonafide star to put them over the top.

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It’s easy for the Raptors to earn victories over teams like the Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies, and Orlando Magic but losses to the Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics show that this team is missing a crucial element. Unfortunately, that isn’t easy to overcome when Toronto has struggled to attract star calibre players.

This is why trading for elite talent will always remain the likely avenue for this front office and there is one situation that is worth watching and that’s Bradley Beal’s future with the Wizards.

It’s hard to not see the appeal for Beal considering he is scoring a career- and league-high 33.3 points per game. That is something Toronto could use in a big way considering they don’t have a player capable of leading the way offensively on a consistent basis.

Washington has been on a hard decline the past few seasons and likely won’t be turning things around any time soon. You have to wonder if at some point what the breaking will be that leads to Beal’s departure because if the NBA has told us anything, it will come.

At the same time, Beal isn’t like other superstar players who forced their way out and according to his agent, this isn’t something he wants to do right now.

"“He doesn’t want to quit on something,” Beal’s agent told Yahoo Sports. “He’s an incredibly loyal guy, and he wants to always feel like he’s done everything he can to help something or someone be successful. It’s the way he was raised and what his values are based upon. It’s ingrained in him. It’s what makes him, in my mind, so unique. He’s all about the right things.”"

Toronto Raptors face tough obstacles in potential trade for Bradley Beal

Unlike the trade for Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors won’t be able to acquire Beal on the down-low. It would not make sense for the Wizards to do that and they would be minimizing the potential return for him.

This is where Toronto needs to be realistic in any potential pursuit of a trade for Beal because teams will be lining up to acquire him. It all comes down to what the Raptors will be willing to offer and how far they would go to get a deal done.

Unfortunately, there are other teams who can offer a package that involves multiple first-round picks like the New Orleans Pelicans. This is why any trade from the Raptors will have to involve Pascal Siakam as the starting point and Washington would probably want OG Anunoby on top of that.

Considering Kyle Lowry’s future with the team remains questionable, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to consider trading him and using part of that return to swing a deal for Beal. Or the Raptors can try to conduct a three-way trade.

What do you think about the idea of making a trade for Beal? Would the price be too much for the Raptors? Let us know in the comments below.