Report: Wizards star Beal atop Warriors' offseason wishlist

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The Warriors are searching for another big fish. And there reportedly is one star player in particular that they most want to reel in.

Washington Wizards All-Star guard Bradley Beal is atop Golden State's offseason wishlist, The Athletic's Marcus Thompson reported Thursday, citing multiple sources.

It's no mystery why the Warriors would be extremely interested in acquiring Beal if he were to become available. The sharp-shooting guard ranked second in the league in scoring last season (31.3 points per game) behind Golden State's own Steph Curry and was named Third Team All-NBA. He is on the shortlist of the most dynamic scorers in the league, and adding him to the Warriors' dynastic core of Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green instantly would make the Dubs a leading title contender.

To this point, Beal has publicly stated that he would not request a trade from the Wizards, and obviously, Washington would love to keep a player of his caliber. But Thompson noted two reasons why the Wizards might consider moving on from him this offseason. For one, Beal has two years remaining on his contract worth $71.8 million, but the second year is a $37.3 million player option, so he's really only under team control for one more season. Secondly, the Wizards just hired Wes Unseld Jr. as their new head coach, which could signal a rebuild is on tap.

If the Warriors were to pull off a trade for Beal this offseason, Thompson thinks it will come sooner rather than later.

"If Beal to the Warriors is even possible, it would likely have to happen before next week’s draft," Thompson wrote. "The Warriors’ No. 7 and No. 14 picks would almost assuredly be included in a package for Beal. Golden State would likely have to add a future pick as well. The clear preference for the Warriors’ veterans ... is to go all-in for these next few years instead of restocking the regular roster with players who could take years to develop."

RELATED: Could Warriors strike NBA draft trade with Raptors to land Suggs?

From a salary cap standpoint, any trade for Beal would have to involve Andrew Wiggins going the other way. It's also possible -- and perhaps likely -- that the Warriors would have to include James Wiseman, too.

We'll see if the Warriors have the right bait to reel the big fish in.

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