The NBA’s free agency period is officially underway and Bradley Beal wasted little time in securing the bag. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the All-Star guard has agreed to a five-year, $251 million maximum contract to stay with the Washington Wizards.
All-Star guard Bradley Beal has agreed to a five-year, $251 million maximum contract to stay with the Washington Wizards, his agent Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022
The 29-year-old has played his entire 10-year career with the Wizards and appears to be committed to remaining with the franchise for the foreseeable future. Of course, things change quickly in the NBA, extensions or no extensions.
Beal is coming off a season in which he averaged 23.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.6 assists in 40 games before undergoing season-ending wrist surgery in February. Before that, Beal averaged at least 30 points per game in the previous two seasons, including a 31.3 average in 2020-2021.
The Florida phenom was the No. 3 pick in the 2012 NBA draft and has made good on that by entering his name into the top five of several franchise categories, including the most 3-pointers in Washington history.
Of course, the franchise also hopes that it can make good on Beal’s numbers with more consistent seasons. After making the Eastern Conference semifinals three out of four years early on in his career, they’ve only made the playoffs once since 2018.
While the numbers shake out and Wizards fans breathe a sigh of relief, there were certainly a lot of strong reactions around the NBA world in response to the news of Beal’s extension. Some loved the deal while others think it is not going to end well for Washington.
I never wanna see another #FreeBeal tweet again https://t.co/LxCtvy92Ij
— HTB ♨️ (@HenryTheBlasian) June 30, 2022
It has to be so weird to sign a deal paying a guy $50 million a year while knowing he's not good enough to get you close to a championship. https://t.co/wNiJhb8v2O
— James Surowiecki (@JamesSurowiecki) June 30, 2022
Beal staying in Washington for a long time 💵💵💵 https://t.co/BbgTCYGfGH
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) June 30, 2022
Get that money Bradley!!!!
(Was on a shortlist for me of guys who could move West and make things even tougher on the Suns. No dice for now.) https://t.co/hNWOtt2wNm
— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) June 30, 2022
Bradley Beal is gonna retire with $500 million in earnings and every summer off. run from the grind legend. https://t.co/5due1lYrFs
— Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) June 30, 2022
These numbers for Bradley Beal are just crazy. https://t.co/dTzOPYFC5X
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) June 30, 2022
I don’t want to hear free Bradley Beal ever again with all due respect
— Mark Jackson’s Burner (@casualtakeking) June 30, 2022
[Woj]
