There is very little, if any, Bradley Beal trade talk heading into the deadline this year, and any trade speculation is the wishful thinking variety, not the realistic kind.
Which is how Beal wants it. He has had chances to leave before, he gets recruited by other players, but Beal has always stayed loyal and stayed in Washington. It confounds some fans who want to see Beal jump to a team — usually their team — to build a superteam and chase a title. Beal went on The Woj Pod with Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and explained why he doesn’t want just to chase a ring.
Full audio of Wizards star @RealDealBeal23 on The Woj Pod: https://t.co/OmQWFAZWZl pic.twitter.com/g2F493Ot9c
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 21, 2022
“Honestly, realizing that a franchise is willing to build around you. It’s not always like that everywhere. Like, if I go somewhere else, they’re just not going to build around you. They’ll build around what they have. There’s nothing absolutely nothing wrong with that, but if I have the chance to create my own legacy and make it work here with the team that drafted me, then why not give it a shot? If it works, it works, If it doesn’t, I can say ‘at least I tried.’ That’s just who I am. That’s my blessing and curse, my loyalty.
“We’re transitioning, we’re going in the right direction, but we still have a lot of improvements to make.”
Beal has not signed a contract extension the Wizards put in front of him, but that is simply about Beal wanting the most money. The Wizards offered a four-year, $181 million extension, but if Beal plays out this season, becomes a free agent then re-signs with Washington, he could get five years, $242 million. That’s 61 million reasons to wait. While becoming a free agent does open the door to him leaving, the most another team can offer is four years, $179 million. Beal is most likely going to take the bag, then if he wants out he can push his way out in a couple of seasons.
The Wizards are betting Beal re-signs; if they thought he would bolt this summer they should be trying to trade him before the Feb. 10 deadline.
But listen to him talk, does Beal sound like a guy looking to leave? Or stay and create his own legacy?
