Wizards’ Bradley Beal Declines Option, Supermax Eligible

Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards, NBA Trade Rumors
NBA Analysis Network

With NBA free agency just about 24 hours away, things are beginning to pick up as the deadline nears for options to be decided upon. One of the players this applied to was Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards.

Beal has a $36.4 million option for the 2022-23 season. There was some speculation about whether he would accept that, giving the Wizards another season to build the roster up around him or decline it, setting himself up for a major payday.

Many people expected him to decline the option and that is exactly what he did according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN via his agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports. Beal is now eligible for a five-year supermax with the Wizards or a four-year max deal with any other team.

This was a mere formality for Beal, as it seemed like he was always going to opt-out to cash in on a new deal. Where he receives that money from, however, is unclear at this point. He has said he wants to play where he feels he can win, whether that is with the Wizards or with another team.

LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: 2 Under-The-Radar NBA Free Agency Destinations For Washington Wizards Star Bradley Beal

It would be a bit surprising to see Beal turn down a max offer from the Wizards should they be willing to offer him the supermax. That deal would be worth approximately $248 million. A four-year max from another team would be worth about $184 million.

Both of those are large sums of money, but having the extra year of security and about $64 million more in earnings will be tough to turn down. Washington has also already begun the process of showing Beal that they are willing to spend to build a winning roster around him.

They acquired point guard Monte Morris and wing Will Barton from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith. Morris addresses their need for a point guard while Barton shores things up at shooting guard and small forward, likely sliding right into the role vacated by Caldwell-Pope.

LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: 2 Under-The-Radar NBA Free Agency Destinations For Washington Wizards Star Bradley Beal

Adding those two to a rotation that also includes Kristaps Porzingis, Kyle Kuzma, Daniel Gafford, Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija, Corey Kispert and rookie Johnny Davis around Beal gives the Wizards a strong group heading into the 2022-23 season should no other moves be made.

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