Report: GM assesses Beal's trade value, Knicks exec is recruiting him originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
As Bradley Beal marches on as the NBA's leading scorer and one of the 10 starters for March's All-Star game, teams around the league are still trying to position themselves just to attempt to trade for him.
One of them is the Knicks, who have rarely kept their desires to land star players a secret in the past and are reportedly utilizing top executive William Wesley (World Wide Wes) to convince Beal to force a trade to New York.
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“The Knicks have World Wide Wes on their side,” radio host Michael Kay said, per the New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy. “And he’s been in the ear of some of Beal’s people and he’s kind of nudging them that this might be a time to push for a trade.”
Wesley was hired by the Knicks in June to assist team president - and former associate - Leon Rose. His main objective was to leverage his relationships around the league to potentially influence the game's best players to come play for the Knicks.
As Bondy reports, the Knicks are interested in trading for Beal, as they have multiple first-round draft picks over the next two years and a few intriguing young players to potentially include in an offer. One GM described a potential haul for Beal including three first-round picks, two first-round pick swaps, a young player and an expiring contract.
Despite the Knicks' reported interest and Wesley's efforts to push Beal to New York, the Wizards' star guard has not formally requested a trade or expressed his desire to play for anyone but Washington. The Wizards have also reiterated on multiple occasions that Beal isn't going anywhere, as he's signed through next season.
