Bradley Beal’s Wizards deal for five years and $251 million surprised NBA fans, but he admitted he made the deal because there weren’t any competitive teams available.
Bradley Beal re-signing with the Washington Wizards in the summer for five years and $251 million came as a surprise to some people. As one of the bigger-name players this past offseason to become a free agent, there was some speculation that he’d end up searching for a more competitive team.
Are the Washington Wizards competitive?
The Washington Wizards are 11-13. They’re playing competitive basketball, but with top teams in the Eastern Conference like the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and Cleveland Cavaliers playing on a different level, it’s unlikely that the Wizards will play meaningful basketball games in May and June.
Bradley Beal is having a strong year after missing half of the 2021-22 season due to injury. He’s averaging just below 23 points per game, along with five assists, and he’s shooting about 35 percent from beyond the arc.
He appeared to have bought into the franchise, but recent comments shed more light on his summer extension.
Why did Bradley Beal re-sign with the Washington Wizards?
Gilbert Arenas is an ex-NBA star who now hosts a podcast No Chill with Gilbert Arenas. He retired from the NBA in 2012, after having spent eight seasons with the Washington Wizards. On a recent episode, he hosted current star Bradley Beal to talk about the Washington Wizards back when Arenas was playing versus the current team, and what it would take to get this team on a deep Eastern Conference playoff run.
During the segment, Beal was asked about signing his extension over the summer. And he revealed that:
There was nowhere else for me to go . . . where I can go win . . . Realistically, I won’t say my hand was forced, but this was my best decision, best option
This isn’t to say that there weren’t other teams interested, but the conversation revealed that Beal weighed his options and decided that there were no teams available to sign with where he could realistically make a title run.
Washington has some talent, but the team as constructed remains at a distance from the best teams in the conference.