Bradley Beal – G, Washington Wizards
What is this year five of this saga? No matter how many times Bradley Beal asserts that he’s okay, that he’s happy to remain in Washington, that he has no interest in entertaining any other options, it seems as though we keep returning to this question: Is Beal a Wizard next season? It’s like the real-life version of that video of the guy screaming through a glass door at a cat, “I’M GON GET YOU OUTTA THERE.” Has anyone ever wondered, maybe the cat’s cool behind that door?
It’s a wonder that Beal is content in Washington. No matter how many sweeping moves the team’s brass makes to build a contender around him, it fails. Trading Russell Westbrook for Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and draft compensation last summer was supposed to do the trick; per the narrator, it did not. The Wizards finished 35-47 this season, 12th in the Eastern Conference. So, the question remains: how can a perennial All-Star and top-25 player in the NBA be okay with legacy-damaging mediocrity?
Beal has been consistent with his responses on the matter. The last he was asked about it, he said it would be “fair” to assume that he’ll be re-signing with the Wizards this offseason. But the rumors persist, too. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Miami Heat “are seen as a legitimate suitor” should Beal look to switch things up this offseason.
And according to former NBA center Andrew Bogut, who recounted a rumor he’d been fed by people “close to the situation” on his podcast, “Rogue Bogues,” “Brad Beal is trying to get to Philadelphia in the offseason to team up with Harden and Embiid. Philly’s desperate to try to get off [Tobias] Harris, anyway. They have been for a while. And I think they’re even more desperate now to somehow free up that cap space. It will most likely have to be a sign-and-trade with Philly. But don’t be surprised if a big three forms in Philly. That’s the word on the street.”
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Either Beal deal would be a sign-and-trade, as his current deal isn’t up until 2023. The simplest solution would see Beal sign a five-year, $246 million max deal with Washington. But at 29, the clock is ticking for him to find a home that could help him add trophies to his mantle instead of the meager scoring title here and there. Boston could be a potential home, but they’d likely be cautious to trade away Jaylen Brown in exchange for an aging scorer. So, maybe it’s Miami or Philly, or perhaps it’s a trip out West to join a team with cap space and draft capital to blow – I hear Oklahoma City is lovely this time of year.
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Either way, staying in Washington makes less and less sense if you’re a player of Beal’s caliber, and they continue to struggle when tasked with giving him pieces to build a contender with. Loyalty is admirable and all, but this is a business just as it is a game. You can’t succeed without the other; thus far, Beal has failed in both and would do well to find a home where he can flourish in terms of points and wins.
