For the first time since 2012, Bradley Beal is not a member of the Washington Wizards. The three-time all-star Phoenix Suns in June.
Beal spent 11 seasons with Washington after the Wizards selected him as the third overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. His next trip to the Capital One Arena will be his first as a visitor.
The NBA released its 2023-24 schedule. Beal’s return to Washington is on Sunday, Feb. 4. Tip-off will be at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Washington traded Beal to the Suns in exchange for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, four future first-round pick swaps, and six future second-round picks. The Wizards have since traded Paul to the Golden State Warriors in a deal that they acquired Jordan Poole.
Bradley Beal scored 15,391 points in a Wizards uniform, just 160 shy of Elvin Hayes for the most in franchise history.
The Wizards haven’t had a winning season since 2017-18. Thus it was time for the Wizards to readjust its roster and look toward the future. New team president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins set out to rebuild. Beal waived his no-trade clause one season into his $251 million, five-year super-max contract.
Now, Beal gets an opportunity at contending for an NBA championship in Phoenix alongside superstars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. It’s a chance he never quite got in 11 seasons with Washington.
The Feb. 4 contest won’t be the first time Beal is scheduled to play the team that drafted him. The Wizards will travel to Phoenix and play the Suns on Dec. 17.
Washington will also play the Golden State Warriors on the same west coast road trip on Dec. 22. That will be new centerpiece Jordan Poole’s first Golden State return since getting traded.
