Bradley Beal's got a little secret.
The Washington Wizards star, according to The Athletic, has made a decision about his professional future but is declining to speak further out of respect for his current contract set to expire upon this summer's free agency opening. Beal is widely expected to turn down a $36 million option and instead become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career, leaving him open to being signed by any NBA team, including the New York Knicks.
What are the odds?
SportsBetting.ag has set them:
Bradley Beal Next Team
Boston Celtics 3-1
Portland Trail Blazers 4-1
Miami Heat 5-1
Brooklyn Nets 6-1
Atlanta Hawks 7-1
Denver Nuggets 15-2
Los Angeles Lakers 8-1
Dallas Mavericks 9-1
Philadelphia 76ers 9-1
New York Knicks 10-1
Utah Jazz 11-1
Los Angeles Clippers 12-1
New Orleans Pelicans 14-1
Chicago Bulls 16-1
Phoenix Suns 16-1
San Antonio Spurs 16-1
Speculation has been a staple of Beal's NBA service since he entered the Association as the third overall pick of the 2012 draft out of Florida. All 10 seasons of his NBA career have been spent in Washington, which recently wrapped its fourth consecutive losing season. The 35-47 record was partly brought about by a wrist injury that cost Beal more than half of the 2021-22 season. One year prior, he averaged a career-best 31.3 points en route to the All-Star Game and third team All-NBA honors.
Opponents have likely made innumerable calls about Beal, but the soon-to-be 29-year-old has maintained a loyalty to the Washington D.C. area despite the Wizards' struggles. Washington has not won a playoff series since 2017 (not counting their triumph in the East's Play-In Tournament in 2020) and is in the midst of a franchise rehaul under second-year head coach Wes Unseld Jr. (son of the team legend).
The Wizards can grant Beal a bigger max deal but he previously told Bleacher Report that the primary factor of his decision will be finding a place "where I feel like I can win". The Knicks, though far removed from last year's playoff discussion after besting the Wizards by only two games, have a promising young core to work with (headlined by RJ Barrett) and they also have enough assets if they want to get relative dibs on Beal through a sign-and-trade.
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