National Basketball Association

NBA odds: Lines on Bradley Beal's next team, from Lakers to Celtics

Updated Dec. 21, 2022 11:15 a.m. ET

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Bradley Beal has informed the Washington Wizards that he will decline his $36M player option for the 2022 season and enter unrestricted free agency this summer.

Expectedly, this news has NBA fans and bettors pondering which team the deep-shooting, three-time All-Star will wind up on next. 

The 6-foot-4 sharpshooter averaged 23.2 points, 6.6 assists and 4.7 boards in a season that was cut short due to surgery on his left wrist. While he shot over 50% on his 2-point field goals, he was well below his average from deep, shooting only 30%.

Regardless of his recent shooting woes, Beal is at a pivotal point. He has spent his entire professional career in Washington D.C., and sadly, that has largely been outside the spotlight. The Wizards have only reached the playoffs five times during his tenure and never advanced past the second round. Their last series victory was in the 2017 postseason. 

Beal has expressed a strong desire to win, but with the lack of playoff success, it is only fair to wonder if this will be the end of his time in the nation’s capital. Over the years he has been linked to possible trades with the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, but nothing was ever completed. 

Is this the summer he finally leaves Washington and sets up shop in a city that is closer to winning the championship?

On that note, we turned to FOX Bet to get hypothetical odds on the most likely places Bradley Beal suits up for on opening day for the 2022-2023 NBA season. 

 ODDS ON BRADLEY BEAL’S NEXT TEAM*

Wizards: -125 (bet $10 to win $18 total)
Heat: +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total)
Lakers:  +650 (bet $10 to win $75 total)
Hawks: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)
Celtics: +1100 (bet $10 to win $120 total)
Other: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)

*Odds as of 6/24/2022

At -125, the Wizards are the favorite to keep Beal. He has consistently said throughout the years that he wants to remain in D.C. and help lead the team to a title. He also shared last week that he has already made his decision. 

Although they finished 12th in the East, there are some talented players on this team. Kyle Kuzma has proven to be a reliable starter and the addition of a healthy Kristaps Porzingis should add the dynamic scoring punch Washington has missed since the departure of John Wall. If they lock up a solid point guard, the Wizards can make noise in the Eastern Conference. 

Most Importantly, though, the Wizards hold Beal’s rights and can tender more years and money (five years, $245 million) than any other team (four years, $180 million). If money and loyalty mean anything to him, Beal will stay.  

"Washington still remains the favorite as Beal mentioned before he wants to stay here," FOX Bet sports trader Martin Pascual explained. "Also, the fact that he said he has already made up his mind on where he will play next season seems like an indication he is staying. 

"Free agency is not open yet, so other teams are not allowed to reach out to him (unless there’s tampering)."

However, if Beal did leave, the Celtics (+1100) appear to be a good destination, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. 

Fresh off an NBA Finals that saw them fail to pack much of a scoring punch the last three games of the series, Boston can use the productivity of Beal's scoring. On top of that, he is close friends with superstar Jayson Tatum as they both hail from St. Louis, attended the same high school and have been friends since Tatum was in the sixth grade. You’d have to imagine if he was to leave the extra dollars on the table, it would be to join forces with his "little brother" on a championship-caliber team. 

Similarly, the Miami Heat (+550) are also in need of a scorer as evidenced in the Eastern Conference finals. Long rumored to be a target of Pat Riley, adding Bradley to Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry would set their championship dreams en fuego. 

Finally, no article regarding free agency is complete without mention of the Los Angeles Lakers (+650).

Pairing Beal with LeBron James would completely open up the Lakers' offense and create a new Big 3 that actually complement each other. Unfortunately, they lack cap space, draft picks and have an albatross of a contract in Russell Westbrook — a player that the Wizards traded away a mere 12 months ago. Even in the land of Hollywood, this seems too farfetched to become reality. 

But anything can happen in the Association. Beal’s next move might just put a contender over the top, so stay tuned to see which team he suits up for this upcoming season.

Play FOX Super 6 every week for your chance to win thousands of dollars every week. Just download the Super 6 app and make your picks today!
 

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