Bradley Beal just may get his wish this summer—the Wizards will reportedly offer the 22-year-old a maximum level contract.
Bradley Beal wants the max and the #Wizards are going to give it to him because they don't have much of a choice: https://t.co/svKY4HsJWv
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgeccastillo) May 27, 2016
Beal recently declared that he’s a max player, and threatened to look elsewhere if Washington doesn’t agree with him.
Beal will be a restricted free agent on July 1.
Per the WaPo:
Barring a drastic development, Beal won’t have to shop around. The Wizards are expected to offer Beal a five-year deal for the maximum amount allowed under the salary cap as soon as the free agent negotiating period kicks off on July 1, according to people with knowledge of the situation. Based on the $92 million salary cap projection teams are working with, a max contract would pay Beal $23 million next season because he could earn up to 25 percent of the cap amount as a four-year veteran.
Why make such a steep investment on a player who has never made an all-star team, never played more than 73 games in a regular season, appeared in a career-low 55 games last season, and has had recurring stress injuries to his right fibula? Because the Wizards believe in his potential. More to the point, they don’t have a reasonable alternative.
In other words, if the Wizards flinch, other clubs will surely offer Beal the max, which Washington will be able to match because he’s a restricted free agent.
