The Washington Wizards, as expected, met Bradley Beal’s contractual demands on the first day of free agency.
The 23-year-old has come to terms on a five-year max deal worth about $128 million, according to his agent.
Bradley Beal nearing five-year, $128 million deal with Wizards. @WojVerticalNBA report on @TheVertical. https://t.co/epWlJcfSRF
— The Vertical (@TheVertical) July 1, 2016
Beal averaged 17.4 points for the Wizards last season.
Per the WaPo:
Beal is one of the two top restricted free agents on the market, along with Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond, and there has been virtually no talk of him meeting with other teams leading up to the start of free agency because of the widely held belief the Wizards would quickly lock him up. That’s exactly how things are turning out, as Washington is fully committed to building around its back court of John Wall and Beal by inking Beal to a new contract.
There is no doubting Beal’s talent. Having just turned 23 on Tuesday, Beal has career averages of 16 points per game and has shot 39.7 percent from three-point range on more than four attempts per game throughout his four-year career. He was thought highly enough of to be given a shot at making the U.S. Olympic team this summer, though he eventually pulled himself from consideration in order to try and get himself ready for the start of next season.
None of that factors in his production during Washington’s postseason runs in both 2014 and 2015, when he averaged 21.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists and shot 39 percent from three-point range. […] There are doubts, however, about Beal’s ability to stay healthy. He has played more than 70 games just once in his career and played just 55 last season. The past two seasons he’s dealt with recurring stress injuries in his right leg, something that he said could lead to his minutes being monitored over the remainder of his career.
Keep up with the latest signings during the July free-agency period by following our 2016 NBA Free Agent Tracker.
