Bradley Beal believes he can win with the Washington Wizards. The three-time All-Star officially signed his $251 million supermax contract extension on Friday. Beal proceeded with a press conference in Washington shortly afterwards.
Drafted as the third overall pick in 2012, Beal has played all 10 of his seasons with the Wizards. If he plays out his new five-year extension, he’ll play 15 seasons in Washington.
Beal’s decision to stay puzzled some. The Wizards have struggled in the past four seasons. They’ve failed to win more than 35 games in any of the seasons and made just one playoff appearance — as an eighth seed — during that span.
“The reason that I’m staying is because I believe that I can win here,” Beal proclaimed during the press conference. “We have some tools here. Now it’s up to us players to get our hands dirty and put the work in.”
Beal has been at the forefront as the top player the past four seasons. Through those years, he has emerged as a trade candidate despite his vow to be loyal. This offseason was a perfect opportunity to move on from Washington as he was an unrestricted free agent.
However, he opted to stay put. He also got a no-trade clause which illustrates his commitment to stay through the process in Washington.
“Winning a championship here would mean the world to me,” Beal said, per Quinton Mayo. “That would mean more than up, leaving and playing with four other All-Star. I firmly believe in my heart that I can win here.”
Beal will have his work cut out for him. His supermax contract along with other deals set to be on the books, puts the Wizards at a disadvantage to add to its roster through free agency without sign-and-trades.
Beal has played with the likes of John Wall and Russell Westbrook. His most team success came playing alongside Wall. The duo made the playoffs four out of five seasons. But Wall is long gone now. Both Wall and Westbrook are in Los Angeles now, Wall with the Clippers and Westbrook with the Lakers.
After Spencer Dinwiddie didn’t workout last season, Beal is now paired with Monte Morris in the backcourt. But his ability to jell with center Kristaps Porzingis and forward Kyle Kuzma may be more important.
If Beal is to win a championship in Washington there’s a lot of work to do. But first, the concentration should be in winning more than 35 games in a season without Wall.
