Other players/teams are recruiting Bradley Beal hard
After trading Russell Westbrook in the offseason after just one year with the team and going through what looks to be another quick rebuild process, many scouts and executives around the league believe that Bradley Beal could become an All-Star on the trade block, but the Washington Wizards have remained loyal to their star player.
For what seems like the 100th time in his career, Bradley Beal has remained loyal to the Wizards and intends to spend the entire 2021-22 season with them, at least as of right now.
With the additions of Spencer Dinwiddie, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, rookie Corey Kispert and others, the Washington Wizards definitely have more depth than they had last year, but is this a team that can truly be a threat in the playoffs? Can they even make the playoffs this season with Bradley Beal being their only superstar?
These are going to be the two biggest questions facing the Wizards all season long and rightfully so because of some of the inconsistencies these players have had in their careers.
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Both Spencer Dinwiddie and Thomas Bryant are coming off ACL injuries, Deni Avdija is coming off a broken leg that ended his rookie season last year and plenty of question marks loom over the heads of Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Davis Bertans, and Daniel Gafford in terms of how productive they can be.
Bradley Beal’s emergence as one of the best scorers in the league really has not been a surprise, as he has always been an elite-level offensive player dating back to when he entered the league, but it is a little shocking to see him remain in Washington all of these years given their lack of roster depth and lack of winning.
However, Beal could very well be waiting until he gets a max contract extension from the Wizards before making any decisions about his future. Following the 2021-22 season, Bradley Beal is going to be eligible for a super-max contract extension that will pay him upwards of $235M in total, which is a lot of money to pass up on by requesting a trade right now.
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This has not stopped teams though from pursuing him every single chance they get. The NBA has tampering rules to try and prevent “unwanted” recruiting of players while they are under contract, but everyone talks in this league and it is no secret that players are constantly texting, calling, gaming, etc. with each other and talking about their futures.
When talking with The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, Bradley Beal stated that, “Almost every game we play, someone says something,” in regards to other players around the league recruiting him. “It brings you back to college. Which school is the right school? Which team is the right team? You love the fact that people see your game and would love to play with you. But it’s also tough on the back end, because you have no idea what you want to do.”
This really is not surprising to hear because of the fact that Bradley Beal can be the difference in a team potentially winning a championship.
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The idea of adding a 30-plus point per game scorer to your team is something executives around the league dream about and if he was to request a trade from Washington, all 29 other teams in the league would be right in line trying to acquire Bradley Beal.
The Washington Wizards truly believe that they have a team that can be competitive in the Eastern Conference, but Beal’s decision is truly going to come down to how long he is willing to wait around. The 3x All-Star is now 28-years-old and playing the best basketball of his career, going to a team to potentially win a championship has to be on Bradley Beal’s mind right now.
This will be Year 10 Beal has been in the league with the Washington Wizards, but this will truly be the biggest year yet for him. After having back-to-back seasons averaging 30-plus points, Bradley Beal will have to make a decision soon on if he intends to remain with the Wizards or not. He is under contract through the 2022-23 season, that is if he opts into his player option for next season, but he truly is an All-Star-level player that could request a trade at any time.
