Wizards' Bradley Beal: Agrees to five-year max with Wiz
Rotowire
Beal (wrist) and the Wizards came to terms Thursday on a five-year, $251 million max contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
As had been widely speculated in recent weeks, Beal will accept the five-year max from Washington and remain with the Wizards -- at least for the time being. The star guard has never asked for a trade out of Washington, but he's one of a handful of players the rest of the league will continue to monitor. Assuming he sticks in Washington next season, Beal will look to bounce back from a disappointing 2021-22 campaign that was ultimately cut short (40 games played) by left wrist surgery in February. Prior to the procedure, Beal averaged only 23.2 points per game on 45.1 percent shooting -- this after he posted a career-best 31.3 points per game on 48.5 percent shooting in 2020-21.
Beal (wrist) declined his $36.4 million player option Wednesday, making him a free agent, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Beal is eligible to sign a five-year max deal to return to Washington, or he can sign with another team on a four-year contract. Rumors seem to indicate Beal is interested in remaining with the Wizards and taking the most money possible. He's coming off a down year where he struggled shooting relative to his standards, averaging 23.2 points on 45.1 percent from the field and 30.0 percent from deep. He also appeared in just 40 games and underwent season-ending wrist surgery in early February.
