The Washington Wizards are having one of their best seasons in years, but Bradley Beal is putting a bit of a damper on it with his latest comments.
The Wizards star spoke this week on the “Posted Up” podcast with Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Haynes and addressed his future with the team. Beal has a four-year, $185.5 million extension offer currently on the table from the Wizards but has yet to accept it.
“I got time, so I kinda hold the cards right now,” said Beal. “One, I’ve never been in this position. I’m kinda embracing that, being able to kinda dictate how I want my future to be and where I want it to be. At the same time, I’m not gonna make that grand commitment and it doesn’t work. Ultimately, you have to be selfish at some point and for probably the first time in my career, Year 10, I am. And so I’m kinda taking advantage of it in a way.
“Obviously my full commitment is to the team,” he added. “I want it to work. I’ve contributed to being here. I’ve committed to being here twice. Now I want to see that commitment to me, as well, that we can create a winning team here, a winning environment here. And granted, I’m a part of that, so I gotta make sure that I’m stepping up and doing my thing, too, just as well.”
These comments probably come across as a lose-lose for Wizards fans. Beal sounds noncommittal at this point to signing with the team for the longer-term. That leaves open the possibility that he could leave the Wizards in free agency as soon as next summer (Beal has a $36.4 million player option for next season). If Beal ultimately decides that he wants to stay in Washington though, he is eligible for a five-year, $241.6 million supermax extension next offseason. Paying Beal that much through roughly age 34 could potentially hamstring the franchise for several years to come.
The three-time All-Star Beal, who has been a lifelong Wizard, has certainly earned the right to control his own destiny. But on top of rumors that Beal may want to team up with a fellow star who is under contract elsewhere, there is a lot to be uneasy about here for Wizards fans.
More must-reads: