Bradley Beal believes he’s a max player and he’s making no bones about saying so publicly. Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post quoted the Washington Wizards guard, who made it very clear what kind of money he was looking for.
“I feel like I’m a max player and that’s what I’m looking for. If Washington can’t meet that requirement then I may be thinking elsewhere,” the often-injured guard said. “I’m pretty sure that they probably won’t (let me go). At the end of the day, that’s where I want to be. I think a deal will probably get done but you just never know.”
As it relates to Beal getting a max contract, there is one big negative working against him — health. Beal has had a hard time remaining on the floor throughout his career.
In four NBA seasons, Beal has never played more than 73 games. This past season saw him notch career lows with 55 games played and 35 games started.
Given that he’s just a month shy of his 23rd birthday and already dealing with constant injury concerns, it’s a real drawback.
Still, he is only 23 and should be around for a long time. Beal would also not be the first injury-prone player to turn it around and become a star. As an example, Stephen Curry had similar injury concerns prior to his explosion into a star.
Beal has been an effective player throughout his career. He has career per game averages of 16 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists. He’s also a career 40 percent three-point shooter.
Right now it’s hard to say if he’s worth a max contract. We know that the salary cap is about to skyrocket but until we know what it is, determining player value is tricky.
Beal is a good player. His minutes would certainly need to be closely monitored. But giving a player a max deal should mean that his team thinks that he can be one of the two best players on a contender. A healthy Beal is likely that guy.