The Washington Wizards are in a bit of a pickle. The Eastern Conference is more open now that Kawhi Leonard is on the Los Angeles Clippers, but the Wiz aren’t in a position to take advantage.
John Wall, whose contract was already an albatross, is now injured and will miss significant time (if not all of) next season. They don’t have elite talent left on the roster outside of Bradley Beal, who is weighing his options. Beal can stay and sign a max extension with Washington, or leave in free agency in the summer of 2021.
The Wizards offering Beal an extension is perfunctory, and now they’ve gone ahead and sent Beal that offer.
Via Twitter:
So, bookkeeping: the Wizards made their three-year, $111 max extension offer to Bradley Beal today, the first day they’re eligible to do so, per sources. Beal, unsurprisingly, is not signing it immediately, if at all. While grateful for the gesture (1/3)
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) July 26, 2019
and while wanting to not abandon the team as it approaches a likely rough season, obvious questions remain about the team’s short- and long-term plans during the prime of his career. And Beal also remains eligible for the much more lucrative supermax after next season (2/3)
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) July 26, 2019
if he makes one of the three all-NBA teams for Washington after next season. The sides will continue what have been amiable discussions next week.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) July 26, 2019
Beal can sign a supermax extension if he hits some important milestones, so there’s no reason for him to sign this smaller extension now. But Washington has to make the offer in good faith, and to back up the talk they’ve had about wanting to keep Beal.
The Wizards should want Beal, but the supermax money hasn’t been enough to keep guys in one place all that often in the NBA. Even if Ted Leonsis can change the culture and turn things around in D.C., Wall’s contract runs through 2023, so Beal will be hampered with him the entire time if he stays.