There is some acknowledged friction between John Wall and Bradley Beal in Washington, and according to a report, the Wizards’ All-Star point guard is also annoyed by the $118 million extension recently signed by James Harden.
.@kevinoconnorNBA examines the seemingly turbulent union between John Wall and Bradley Beal https://t.co/U40SgPxOcX pic.twitter.com/HNLJkP9Edi
— The Ringer (@ringer) August 26, 2016
Wall inked a five-year, $80 million-plus deal three years ago, and has indicated frustration with missing out on the much bigger contracts being handed out these days.
The 25-year-old refuted the perception that he’s bothered by other players cashing in.
I have every reason to smile, It's time to shine….. Bless and Thankful !! #5Deep #WallWay #BYB pic.twitter.com/ykJmqdMJVK
— John Wall (@JohnWall) August 25, 2016
Per The Ringer:
One league source familiar with Wall’s state of mind simply put it this way: “Wall’s got jealousy issues. He’s always upset with someone who makes more money than him.” A lot of players will make more money than Wall this year. He signed a five-year, $84.8 million deal in 2013, which looks like chump change now.
Wall has previously expressed displeasure over the fact that Reggie Jackson received a similar deal. Then, last August, James Harden signed an incentive-laden 13-year, $200 million shoe deal with Adidas, while the company offered Wall a deal worth only $7.5 million annually. According to The Vertical, Wall declined the offer because he wanted “Harden money.” A few months later, Wall fired his agent, Dan Fegan, and hired Rich Paul.
A front-office executive says that Wall was “rankled” after Harden signed a four-year, $118 million extension with the Rockets. […] If Harden’s contract was irritating, just imagine how Wall felt when Beal signed for a five-year max contract worth $127.2 million, tied for the fourth-most-valuable contract in the NBA. An agent described it to me like this: “Whatever is public, multiply it by five and that’s how they really feel about each other. It’s probably a total disaster.”
