Washington Wizards’ shooting guard Bradley Beal is entering his first free agency of his young NBA career this summer. While Beal was eligible for an extension before the season began, he and the Wizards were ultimately unable to come to an agreement. That was perhaps in part due to the Wizards wanting to preserve as much cap space as possible to go after an impact free agent this summer.
Now with Beal having just suffered an injury, talks about Beal’s contract situation are once again prevalent. Beal has had multiple injuries in his few years in the league, especially to his foot and leg, the site of his latest injuries. That has some wondering whether it would be smart to give Beal a big contract due to the dangers of recurring injuries.
According to the Washington Post, however, Beal is still expected to get a large contract during the summer, to the tune of a max deal:
The Wizards, however, want as much salary cap space as possible and not signing Beal to the extension gives them nearly $7 million more to sign free agents because his cap hold will be $14 million instead of $20.9 million. As a result, they elected to wait to give Beal max money. Though Beal’s recurring injuries are a concern, he is expected to still attract a max contract given his skill set, age, and influx of television money that will infiltrate the free agent market
Beal has certainly proven his worth to the Wizards. He has improved every season and is a significant part of the team. Additionally, his youth means that he has plenty of time to shake off the nagging injuries. The Wizards should certainly be cautious as the injuries are definitely concerning, but in the end, they may not have a choice but to sign Beal to a large deal. Beal, for his part, seems confident that he can recover and prove his value:
I’m still going to come back from this. I’m not going to let this just keep me down or worry me too much. I’m still confident in who I am and the type of player I am. And the GM and the rest of the organization knows what I’m capable of doing, too. So hopefully they won’t use this against me come next summer.
