Bradley Beal has made quite a name for himself after just one tumultuous season with the Florida Gators. Now, he's as high as No. 2 on some draft boards, trailing only Anthony Davis, and seems to be a lock to be selected in the first four picks of the 2012 NBA draft.
If Beal got to make the decision, where would he want to go? Two teams are known to covet him quite a bit: the Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers.
I'm including the Charlotte Bobcats as a potential landing spot, but only for posterity's sake because anything can happen during the NBA draft.
Here are the best fits for Beal.
3. Charlotte Bobcats
Although this most likely isn't going to happen, as the Charlotte Bobcats are looking to either draft Thomas Robinson or move down in the draft order, it is still a possibility that the team picking at No. 2 has a change in heart and decides to select the shooting guard.
Beal would actually be a pretty decent fit on the Bobcats, but I can't move Charlotte out of the third slot because the chances of it happening are rather outlandish at this point.
The former Florida Gator has the all-around offensive game to become the go-to player in the Bobcats "offense." That word is in quotations because I'm still not sure that it actually exists for Michael Jordan's team.
He and Kemba Walker could form a formidable duo in the backcourt down the road, but there would be an inordinate amount of attention paid to him, given the lack of other options on the squad.
This is also a slightly worse fit than the other two landing spots because of the recent acquisition of Ben Gordon, who would block Beal's ascension to the starting lineup for the majority of his rookie season, if not longer.
2. Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are currently the favorites to land Beal, as they own the No. 3 pick in the draft and both the New Orleans Hornets and Charlotte Bobcats are looking in other directions.
Of course, this could all change if the Cleveland Cavaliers jump past the team from the nation's capitol. Beal should be hoping they do, even though the Wizards are by no means a bad fit for him.
Playing with John Wall would be a great situation to land in as the former No. 1 pick is still developing and already one of the league's premier assist-men, averaging eight per game as a second year player with less-than-adequate teammates.
Wall's deadliness in transition would help make up for Beal's lack of elite athleticism and Beal could help quite a bit in half-court sets.
He can't complain if he lands with the Wizards, even if they're only the second-best fit.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
The best fit for Beal is going to the team that is trying to trade the No. 4 and No. 24 picks for the right to move up past the Washington Wizards and draft him.
While the Cleveland Cavaliers may not have been able to win a title before LeBron James, they could become a playoff team once more if they land Beal, who fills the biggest hole in the lineup. Assuming he immediately becomes a starter, Cleveland could be a looking at a starting five of Kyrie Irving, Beal, Alonzo Gee (assuming he's brought back now that he's a restricted free agent), Tristan Thompson and Anderson Varejao.
Beal and Irving would have the potential to form one of the league's elite backcourts just a few years down the road.
The shooting guard's presence would lessen the offensive burden that the former Duke floor general has to shoulder, something that Beal is more than capable of doing.
Beal will succeed regardless of what jersey he ends up putting on, but Cleveland would offer him the best combination of surrounding players, playing time and winning potential.
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