The Washington Wizards can secure guard Bradley Beal long term with a three-year maximum contract extension on July 26. According to team general manager Tommy Shephard, they’ll do just that as soon as it’s legal.
“At the very first moment allowed, we are going to offer Bradley the full max extension,” Sheppard said, according to Adrian Wojnarowksi of ESPN.
Whether Beal accepts that offer remains to be seen. And in fact, a recent report suggested things are trending in the opposite direction.
Should Beal reject the offer, it’s been rumored that the Miami Heat will try to make a blockbuster trade to acquire both John Wall (who is injured right now) and Beal with the idea of creating a Big 3 with Jimmy Butler.
Though, based on some other information Beal may want to stay put in D.C. at least one more year. Wojnarowski reports the All-Star guard has a chance to “sign a five-year, $254 million super-max extension next summer if he earns All-NBA status in the coming season.”
The Wizards are obviously desperate to keep Beal, and it’s not hard to understand why. He’s coming off a career year that saw him average 25.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game, and at the age of 26 his prime years are still ahead of him.