Despite the constant rumors and urging to do otherwise, Washington Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard remains committed to All-Star guard Bradley Beal.
“Nothing’s changing for me, for Bradley,” Sheppard said, per Ava Wallace of The Washington Post. “We built this team around Bradley, and that’s our intention moving forward.”
The Wizards are coming off their best season since 2018. Even then they were 34-38, needed a play-in tournament win to reach the playoffs, and was bounced after five games in the first round.
Beal is entering his final year under contract. He holds a player option after the 2021-22 season. When asked about his future with the Wizards, Beal declined to answer, saying he wanted to reflect on the improbable season he had alongside Russell Westbrook.
Beal has developed into a walking bucket. He finished second in the NBA in scoring averaging 31.3 pointer per game. He became the first Wizards player to average over 30 points per game in back-to-back seasons.
Yet, since the 2018, the Wizards have failed to win more than 34 games even with Beal’s emergence. He’ll be entering his 10th season with Washington and unless something drastically changes, it could be another stellar career wasted in a bad situation.
Sheppard has vowed to improve the team. Saying just making the playoffs is “no longer acceptable.”
Meanwhile, contenders around the league are chomping at the bit to get an opportunity to land one of the best scorers in the game. For now, Beal and the Wizards appear committed to each other at least for foreseeable future.
