There is a new day within the Washington Wizards with its reconstructed super team front office led by President Michael Winger. The team’s step into the future may not include three-time All-Star Bradley Beal.
Winger has the blessings of owner Ted Leonsis to embark on a complete rebuild of the roster. According to The Athletic, the Wizards and Bradley Beal will work together to find a trade if Washington decides to rebuild its roster soon.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski adds that Winger and Beal’s agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, have stayed in close contact as other teams have called about the possibility of Beal being available.
Bradley Beal became the only current NBA player with a no-trade clause when he signed a $251 million, five-year supermax contract last year. One season into the deal, Beal is amid the Wizards reshaping its organization. The Wizards fired Tommy Sheppard as the president and general manager in April.
The Wizards hired Winger as its president. Winger added former Oklahoma City Thunder executive Will Dawkins as the Wizards’ general manager and former Atlanta Hawks president Travis Schlenk as the Sr. VP of player personnel.
Washington drafted Beal with the No. 3 overall pick in 2012. For the first seven seasons, he played alongside five-time All-Star John Wall. However, Wall endured a series of injuries. A ruptured Achilles in the 2018-19 season kept Wall out of action for nearly two calendar years.
Beal was given the keys to the team and eventually overtook the position as the cornerstone after Wall got traded to the Houston Rockets just before the 2020-21 season.
Unfortunately, the Wizards did not have the same success with Beal as Wall leading the team. Washington has missed the postseason four of the last five seasons, and with a new regime in tow, hitting the reset button is a realistic option.
Beal will turn 30 years of age later this month. The 11-year veteran is on the brink of becoming the Wizards’ all-time scoring leader. But, given the team’s new direction, Beal will be faced with the decision to stay with the only team he has played for or look for an opportunity to compete for a championship.
Beal’s decision could greatly be affected by the choices of his teammates, Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma. Porzingis and Kuzma each have a player option for the 2023-24 season. If the two opt out of their deals, they become free agents and could sign elsewhere.
Porzingis is eligible for a $180 million max contract over four years. Kuzma is looking for a pay increase over the $13 million he’s due next season.
Winger is on record saying the Wizards’ roster as it’s currently structured did not work. He added running it back with the same core isn’t ideal for the team’s long-term plans. As he made his media rounds last week, Winger seemingly put pressure on Beal, Kuzma, and Porzingis about their future.
Beal has been the subject of trade rumors since Wall’s injuries mounted. Beal maintained his desire to remain with the Wizards.
But the team has not won over 35 games in a season since 2017-18. As Beal crosses into his 30’s, his priorities may shift. If his desire is not to play through a rebuild, the Wizards and his agent must agree on a destination to trade him. Beal has four years and $207 million remaining on his contract.
With his no-trade clause, Beal not only gets to dictate where he is traded, but he could affect the return package the Wizards would receive. Beal would have to be okay with the remaining roster of his new team.
Last week Winger said moving a superstar player like Beal is a “last resort.” If Beal isn’t content with Winger’s proposed direction of the team, the last resort may be approaching sooner than later.
The NBA draft is on June 22, and free agency starts July 1. The NBA World’s eyes will focus on how the Wizards and Beal handle the situation.
