Bradley Beal was supposed to be the league-changer in this NBA season as a trade chip who the Washington Wizards would deal in an attempt to overhaul the struggling franchise, and who would turn an also-ran into a serious contender.
But that’s not going to be the case this year.
Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Beal shocked everyone by agreeing to a two-year, $72 million extension that starts in 2021. If he declines a player option for 2022-23, Wojnarowski adds “he would be eligible to sign the largest contract in NBA history: five years for $266 million.”
It’s good for Beal, who could land quite a payday. But for the rest of the NBA and its fans, it’s bad news.
Beal — who finished last season with 25.6 ppg, 5.5 apg, 5.0 rpg and 1.5 spg to go along with 47.5 FG% — was supposed to be the name who would be involved in one of those break-Twitter-for-a-day NBA trades, like the one involving the Lakers and Anthony Davis last summer. He would demand a haul of young prospects and picks, but he would be worth it to a team looking for a backcourt upgrade (the Nuggets? The Raptors? The Celtics?).
NBA fans would spend weeks on ESPN’s Trade Machine, finding ways to get Beal to their favorite team. They would turn into detectives, dissecting every little quote and social media clue they could find. Now? Close up shop. Not happening. Maybe the focus shifts to another veteran star.
It’s big news for the Wizards, of course, who won’t shift into complete rebuild mode, and it brings up all sorts of question about the health of John Wall, who will attempt to come back from a ruptured Achilles and heel surgery. Maybe this is a sign that Beal is confident in Wall returning to his All-Star self, which would be huge news to the Wizards since they’ve committed a boatload of money to their backcourt stars.
But for the other 29 teams in the NBA and fans of those organizations? It’s a bummer.
