Since his arrival, Bradley Beal has been a loyal member of the Washington Wizards, but he may soon be on the move, according to reports.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Beal will reportedly not be signing an extension with the Wizards and could become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
“Beal has made it clear he doesn’t plan to sign an extension and likely will skip his player option,” Windhorst reported.
However, hope is not lost for Washington, as Beal’s reasons for declining the extension could be primarily financial and not because he wants to leave the Wizards. According to Windhorst, if Beal opts out of his contract, he can make more money than he would have if he signed the max extension the Wizards could offer.
Windhorst reports that while the Wizards might be nervous, they believe they will ultimately re-sign the star guard in free agency and that Washington is not currently seeking a trade.
“The Wizards are preparing to roll the dice with the belief that Beal will re-sign,” Windhorst said.
Beal has one year, a player option, left on his two-year, $70,146,336 contract. According to Windhorst, Beal intends to opt out of the final year of his contract this summer.
Beal is in his 10th season in the NBA and has proven to be one of the League’s best guards. The 28-year-old guard had made three All-Star teams and one All-NBA team over his career. So far this season, Beal has had an uncharacteristically poor shooting start, averaging 23.7 points per game but doing so on 45.3 percent shooting and 30.3 percent three-point shooting.
The Wizards are currently in the thick of the playoff hunt, sitting eighth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 23-22.
