Which will be the next destination for Bradley Beal?
According to the sources around the NBA, Bradley Beal is unlikely to sign the max contract extension of $111 million for 3-years with the Washington Wizards, and he is the next potential star to hit the free agency market. Somehow, this decision, if he will take it, is understandable, as long as the Wizards didn’t manage to get a notable player this summer and given the fact that John Wall will likely miss the entire season, it would be another year wiped from his career.
Beal is currently 26 years old and maybe he is feeling a little bit of time pressure, because there are some players that can play at an All-Star level only for a few years between the age of 25-30, so he can consider it a waste of his talent if he chooses to stay another 3 years with the Wizards. He still has 2 more years left on his contract, but Washington doesn’t seem to head too high in the East nowhere in the foreseeable future. The managers told that they didn’t plan to trade him anytime soon, but if the franchise keeps missing the playoffs or exit them in the first round, there will be no reason at all for him to stay.
As for the potential franchises that he might join, there is Miami Heat that has enough cap space to give him the max and it could prove to be a good fit alongside Jimmy Butler. The Heat could offer Olynyk, Dragic and Johnson. Another great fit for both him and the franchise would be the Los Angeles Lakers, but unfortunately for them, LA doesn’t have a lot of money left, neither do they have some assets that could be sent to Washington in exchange, so this can’t be brought into discussion. Boston Celtics would also been a great fit for Beal, in exchange for Jaylen Brown and some future first round picks. They could take in consideration even trading Hayward, if he doesn’t show sign of improvement in the early stages of the season. Him and Kemba would form a great backcourt, and together with Jayson Tatum they could do some damage in the East.
For now, he will remain a Wizard, but as mentioned before, time is ticking fast in the DC and it’s hard to believe that Bradley Beal will choose to sign the extension and continue with them in his prime.