Buckle in. Bradley Beal is set for a potentially wild and lucrative off-season.. but is it possible that he could be getting paid big money on another team?
Beal, the soon-to-be 29-year old, has a player option with the Washington Wizards for next season worth $36.4 million. He will have to make the decision on whether he will opt in or out by, at the latest, June 29th.
Many options are on the table for Beal. Averaging 23.2 PPG and 6.6 APG in 40 games played last season, he could opt in and play a final season on his contract, or he could potentially opt out and become a free-agent. It seems, though, that opting into his contract could be the best way for him to go.
If he wanted to leave, he would be able to respectfully do so in asking for a trade while also getting the Wizards a consolation prize in the trade return for him. With his new team, Beal would be immediately eligible to sign a four-year extension. Next off-season, he would be able to sign a five-year deal with his new team if he chose that route.
Opting into his deal and further being traded to a new team is a very real possibility, a source told The Sports Place. Beal is open to the possibility of re-signing with the Wizards, but he is also open to a fresh start.
Just as recent as last season, Washington handled a situation with Russell Westbrook very well, keeping his trade request quiet, doing their businesses, and working in tandem with Westbrook in order for him to get what he wanted. He was ultimately traded to the Los Angeles Lakers on draft night last season in exchange for Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the Lakers 2021 First-Round draft pick. The move was a surprise to the fans that follow the NBA, but to the people around the Wizards front-office, they knew it was coming.
A similar situation to Westbrook’s could be in place here. A source told The Sports Place that the Phoenix Suns have emerged as serious off-season suitors for Washington’s Bradley Beal. Phoenix appears to be motivated to get a deal done whenever he may become available for trade, the source indicated.
The Suns are coming off of a round two playoff loss, falling to the Dallas Mavericks in seven games. For Phoenix, it has become apparent that a move needs to be made in order to push the team over the top, and a trade for Beal could do so.
With an aging Chris Paul, this trade would make a lot of sense for the Suns. Sign Beal to a long-term deal so that they have their guy when Paul retires. For now though, the Suns would get a few cracks at another championship appearance.
This wouldn’t be the first time that Beal and Booker have been teammates. Last summer, the two played together on the USA Basketball team in the Tokyo Olympics. In Tokyo, the star studded team won the gold medal, beating France in the championship game.
A source also told The Sports Place that the Suns have discussed having to get rid of a key player in order to acquire Beal. Among potential players that Phoenix could unload — Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder and Cameron Payne.
Ayton is a restricted free-agent this offseason and has had recent conflicts with the team. The most recent conflict — essentially being benched in game seven vs Dallas. Ayton only played a total of 17 minutes in the key game, scoring five points and only grabbing a total of four rebounds.
After the game, Suns Head Coach Monty Williams said that he played limited minutes due to an ‘internal issue’ with the team. The issue was unclear, but was certainly concerning.
He is expected to command somewhere around a max contract from a team in free-agency and he could be a piece in a potential sign-and-trade for Beal.
Mikal Bridges along with Jae Crowder could also be another potential player return in a trade for Bradley Beal. This past December, Bridges and the Suns mutually agreed on a four-year, $90 million contract extension and if his contract was paired with Crowder’s $10 million salary, it would be near the salary of Beal.
Beal is currently rehabbing a wrist injury that he suffered last season. He underwent surgery in February and Beal said that the surgery was successful.
He spoke with The Washington Post about his injury, saying that he has had time to evaluate his life:
“This injury also gave me a mental break”, Beal said. “A time to evaluate life, and I haven’t changed my mind-set. I enjoy being in D.C.; I enjoy being on this team.”
While he enjoys being in D.C, he has never made a conference finals with Washington and has missed the playoffs in three of the last four seasons. The Wizards made the playoffs in 2020-21, but were quickly eliminated by the 76ers in five games.
A source close to the situation said that the Phoenix Suns and Washington Wizards have previously had discussions regarding a trade for Beal.
Now, Beal will look ahead to his looming decision, which he will have to make within the next month or so.
