Joe Giglio does not believe the Sixers would be a better basketball with Bradley Beal over James Harden.
"I am becoming the James Harden guy," Giglio said on Monday morning. "I don't even like James Harden that much, I'm just assessing the options here. And if the option is Bradley Beal for the long-term or James Harden for the short-term, no I'll still take Harden. Look, Bradley Beal doesn't play...Bradley Beal hasn't played over 60 games since 2018-19. He's a part time player."
"I already know what I am going to get from James Harden and I don't feel like doing that," Giglio's co-host Hugh Douglas disagreed. "I need somebody that is going to play in the playoffs. Give me playoff Bradley Beal."
On the latest episode of The Bill Simmons podcast, released on Sunday, Simmons said the Sixers are the favorites to trade for Beal this Summer and "it's not even close."
"My guess, my bet, the odds on favorite—I would put them -200 would be Philadelphia," Simmons said on the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast. "My odds on favorite is Philadelphia and I don't even think it's close. Beal and [Joel] Embiid, they're friends. Embiid was trying to get him two years ago, which I kept telling people on this podcast. They ended up going with [James] Harden instead, Embiid was pushing hard for Beal. Harden is going to leave.
"If you're Philly and you are going to lose Harden and now I have this shooter, that's probably a better fit with Embiid anyway. And I have Tobias Harris on an expiring contract, couple future draft picks I could probably throw that I could probably find in my pocket somewhere. And, if you're Washington it's like, you know what we got out of the Beal contract. We have Harris as an expiring and we're re-booting everything."
The 29-year-old three-time All-Star shooting guard is one of the NBA's best pure three-level scorers, averaging 22.1 points per game for his career including back-to-back 30-plus point per game seasons in 2019-20 and 2020-21. However, over the last four seasons, Beal has not played more than 60 games, dealing with various injuries.
"I don't think he's as good of a player as he used to be. His three-point shooting has come way down from what it used to be. He's been a 40-percent guy when he first came into the league and he's been hovering in the 30-percent for the last few years here. I don't think Bradley Beal is very good. I can't believe I am saying it, but I think we've almost begun to underrated James Harden."
Beal signed a five-year deal worth $251 million last summer and has massive cap hits of $46.7 million, $50.2 million, $53.7 million, and $57.1 million (player-option) over the next four seasons, something that may not be appealing to a team like the Wizards who may very well undergo a rebuild, as mentioned by Simmons.
Simmons mentioned a deal where the Sixers only have to give up Tobias Harris and draft picks for Beal.
Harris, 30, is in the final year of his contract, set to make $39.3 million in 2023-24, before becoming a free-agent next Summer.
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