DNP-rest has become an expected — although not completely accepted, at least by fans — part of the NBA season, especially in the final weeks. Players either want to rest up for the long playoff run ahead, or they don’t want to risk injury in meaningless games, either way star players are more prone to sit one out down the stretch.
Not Bradley Beal.
Wizards coach Scott Brooks was on The Crossover Podcast with Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated and told the story of offering to rest Beal last season once the Wizards were out of the playoff chase.
Four or five years ago, Beal missed chunks of the season battling injury, including wrist surgery. However, he has played a full 82 games each of the last two seasons and missed only five games he season before that. He’s a competitor and a guy who doesn’t want to take a night off.
Although, when Beal is on a playoff team someday — whether in Washington or elsewhere — it might be wise to rest him a few games during the season to keep him fresh for the playoff grind.
Washington has offered Beal a three-year, $111 million max contract extension, the most it can offer him. Beal, however, has yet to sign it. There’s reason to wait if Beal feels healthy — if he can make the All-NBA team (he was seventh in guard voting last season but there are only six All-NBA guard spots), he can get a $250 million extension from the Wizards. That’s betting on himself, but it’s the kind of thing a guy who refused to miss meaningless games at the end of a season might try to do.