The Washington Wizards and shooting guard Bradley Beal will not agree on an early contract extension before the Nov. 2 deadline, reports NBA.com’s David Aldridge. Beal will be a restricted free agent next summer and have the chance to take offer sheets from other teams.
Bradley Beal, Wizards won’t agree on a contract extension, but that’s by design
Beal will become a restricted free agent next summer, but it’s highly unlikely he leaves Washington. It actually benefits both parties to wait on a new deal until next summer.
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Beal, the No. 3 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, has emerged as one of the NBA's top young guards over the first three years of his career. Equipped with prototypical size (6'5, 207 pounds) and one of the prettiest jump shots you'll ever see, the 22-year-old is precisely the kind of two-guard most teams want in the modern NBA. The only issue has been durability -- Beal's missed time each year, including 19 games in 2014-15, due to various injuries. All that makes Beal an obvious candidate to receive a maximum contract.
The Wizards, however, are electing to wait on offering him that deal because Beal’s cap hit impacts their ability to offer Kevin Durant a maximum contract next summer. Until he is signed, Beal will have a cap hold of $14.7 million next summer, which is around $7 million less than his first-year salary should he receive a maximum contract as expected. It benefits the Wizards to use that additional cap space first, whether for Durant or someone else, and then sign Beal last.
This practice is becoming common around the league. The Spurs executed this cap trick by signing LaMarcus Aldridge first and then waiting to officially give Kawhi Leonard his maximum contract. The Pistons will also attempt to do the same next summer with Andre Drummond.
Beal, for his part, can torpedo the plan by signing an offer sheet with another team. However, it benefits him to wait as well, as the Washington Post's Jorge Castillo points out.
The #Wizards want as much cap space as possible for next summer, and Beal wants the max and can get a 5-yr max from the Wizards next summer.
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgeccastillo) November 2, 2015 Under NBA rules, each team is allowed to give only one five-year rookie contract extension. The Wizards already did so for John Wall, so Beal is only eligible for a four-year maximum contract now. However, if he waits to become a free agent, he can receive that extra year.
One way or another, Beal should get a big payday next summer. Unless the injury woes end up getting worse, Beal has all the tools to be one of the NBA's premier shooting guards. Not only can he shoot the lights out and attack defenses by putting the ball on the floor, he's also a willing defender. The Wizards' improvement defensively since he joined the team isn't a coincidence. Beal's one of several players who have made Washington an above-average defensive team.
Last season, Beal averaged 15.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 63 games. He shot 43 percent from the field and 41 percent from three. Even though he couldn't come to a deal with the Wizards now, it'll take a string of unlikely events for him to leave Washington next summer.
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