Bradley Beal is clearly frustrated with the Wizards. Could he force his way out of D.C.?
Beal is in the middle of a five-year, $127 million max contract in Washington. He’s the franchise player, paired this year with Russell Westbrook in perhaps a last-ditch effort to keep him happy and away from prevailing trade rumors.
Those attempts haven’t been successful of late, as Beal once again poured in an impressive effort of his own, only for the Wizards to lose by a substantial margin. On Wednesday night, Beal had 47 points in 40 minutes of play, shooting 17-of-37 and 6-of-14 from three. While that’s certainly a “carry the team on your back” performance, the Wizards lost to the New Orleans Pelicans 18, giving up 124 points in the process.
Beal looked fed up on the bench towards the tail end of the game.
Beal’s attitude will eventually lead to action from the front office
The NBA is a player-driven league, and when the tide starts to turn against the organization, there is no altering history. At 3-10, the Wizards are 14th in the Eastern Conference, only one game separating themselves and the Detroit Pistons for worst in the conference.
Kamiah Adams-Beal, Bradley Beal’s wife, summed up the family’s attitude with one tweet.
Safe to say Wizards fans are as well, and the replies are filled with supporters of other teams suggesting Beal force a trade to their city.
Whether Beal follows through remains to be seen. He’s frustrated, but under contract through 2023 after agreeing to an extension. That contract doesn’t prevent him from being traded or forcing his way elsewhere, of course, but the large sum of money he’s due does make it tougher.
Assuming Westbrook, Beal and Co. can’t radically turn things around, the Wizards are facing a rebuild, which will not include their most attractive asset.