Bradley Beal has been with the Washington Wizards throughout his career and intended to retire here in the past. That seems to have changed as the 3x all-star is considering other options now.
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The Wizards nearly escaped an embarrassing loss to Detroit Pistons in OT last night. The game-winner by Kyle Kuzma kept them from falling to 6th position in the eastern conference. They started the season on a high note, retaining the top spot for quite some time before Brooklyn Nets snatched it away.
They have been the surprise of the year so far as no one expected them to perform as well as they did initially. Washington Wizards barely made it to the playoffs last season with Westbrook and Beal on their roster. However, the KCP-Kuzma-Harrell trio from the Lakers has turned things around for the franchise.
Their ascent this season is all the more shocking because Bradley Beal is not his usual self yet. Once he makes his way out of the shooting slump, the Wizards will be dangerous for all contending teams in the east.
Bradley Beal could look to sign with a contender in the 2022 free agency
The Washington Wizards offered Bradley Beal 4 year $185 million contract extension this season but the 3x all-star has refused it. He chose to remain an unrestricted free agent in the upcoming off-season. Beal could be looking at contracts worth $200 million or more through free agency. Financially it makes sense why he wants to wait till the offseason.
In addition, the Wizards star is in his prime and he has made a Damian Lillard-esq commitment to the Wizards which is not rewarding. He will be trapped with the organization averaging 30 points a game just to make the play-in. An additional 4 years can change nothing if the Wizards don’t build around him properly.
However, the Wizards shooting guard is struggling this season scoring only 22.5 points a game, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists on 43.7% from the field, his lowest in the last 7 years.
This might hurt his value in the offseason and may not fetch him the kind of contract he is looking for. Refusing the contract extension will be a double-edged sword unless he bumps his numbers up as the season progresses.
