The Washington Wizards don’t seem like a team that is willing to trade superstar Bradley Beal, despite a myriad of rumors stating otherwise.
Wizards’ general manager Tommy Sheppard says that he will instead offer Beal a three-year, $111 million max contract extension when Beal becomes eligible to sign on Friday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“At the very first moment allowed, we are going to offer Brad the full max extension,” Sheppard told ESPN.
Beal, 26, will then have until October 21st to sign the extension, and if he did it would officially kick in at the start of the 2021-2022 season.
“There are moments in a career where there are big decisions to make, and Brad will work through everything and figure out the right thing to do,” Beal’s agent, Mark Bartelstein said, according to ESPN. “There are nothing but great feelings for Ted [Leonsis], Tommy and Scott [Brooks]. They’ve treated Brad wonderfully.”
Sheppard also said that the team would be willing to do a one or two year contract extension as well.
Sheppard said that if Beal, who has two years, $55.8 million left on his contract, declines to sign, then the Wizards still wouldn’t open trade talks, saying that the team has no plans to shop Beal.
“He’s got two years left on his deal, and he’s from Missouri and we are going to have to show him,” Sheppard said. “We need to show him that we are about building this the right way, that we aren’t going to have character-deficient guys around him. We are going to surround him with guys he wants to play with. He saw that right away in free agency with us bringing back Thomas Bryant.”
Sheppard is planning to sell Beal on a reshaped organization under his leadership.
Furthermore, Beal could be eligible to sign a five-year, $254 million supermax extension deal next summer if he earns All-NBA status in the coming season. Without the supermax, Beal would be eligible for a four-year, $155 million max extension next year.
“I understand that it’s a players’ league,” Wizards owner Ted Leonsis said. “I do think that today’s players are so intelligent, so smart and can smell inauthenticity from far away.
“I think they want owners and GMs, coaches and trainers — everyone — on the same page.”
Beal averaged a career-best 25.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5 assists for Washington last season.