Grade the Trade: Mavericks get third star in massive blockbuster proposal

Massive three-team Bradley Beal trade to land Khris Middleton on Mavericks

The Milwaukee Bucks are reported to have interest (subscription required) in Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal. The problem for Milwaukee is that they are an extremely top-heavy team, with three players on massive contracts and not enough salary elsewhere to match Beal's prodigious $46.7 million. Add in their serious lack of picks and young players, and their path to a deal seems dead on arrival.

What if there was a way to open things up for the Bucks? Enter the Dallas Mavericks, who are a win-now team that would love to add one of the Bucks' stars in return for ferrying assets on to the Wizards. Khris Middleton is increasingly likely to opt into the final year of his contract, and he could slide next to Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic to give the Mavs a fearsome perimeter trio.

Here's what such a trade construction might look like:

For the Bucks, they get to swap Middleton for a younger player under contract for a long time. That's cost-certainty as they try to win another title during Giannis Antetokounmpo's athletic prime. They will need to go bargain shopping on the forward market, but if their goal is to trade for Bradley Beal, this is likely the best way to get there.

For the Wizards, they get a solid return for trading Bradley Beal. The No. 10 pick is likely just as good as any singular asset they will get back for Beal, and in Josh Green and MarJon Beauchamp, they get a pair of intriguing young forward. They would take on the salaries of Davis Bertans and Tim Hardaway Jr., but they won't have major plans for their cap space for a few years.

What about the Mavericks: does this deal work for them?