Bradley Beal is ready to get paid.
But the Washington Wizards aren’t ready to pay him.
CSN’s J. Michael provided some late-summer updates on the Wizards, one of which detailed the 22-year-old’s extension demands.
Here’s what he said:
“Bradley Beal has made it clear he thinks he’s a max player, and that’s what he wants. I’ve talked to people on both sides all offseason about this. It seems to be Bradley Beal’s decision. The Wizards are willing to make him an offer, an extension, but they’re not going to offer him the maximum extension right now, simply because they don’t have to.
They can say ‘Bradley, we want to see you play a full season, prove that you can stay healthy and play an 82-game season the way you played those 10 postseason games’, where he was spectacular. He didn’t have a great third season, so maybe this could be motivation for him going into his final season on his rookie deal, and he becomes a restricted free agent next summer.
The Wizards still have the leverage. They can match whatever he’s offered next summer when he becomes a restricted free agent, so they’re in no rush. But does Bradley Beal bet on himself by not signing an extension right now? That’s the question.”
At no point during Michael’s update did he mention Kevin Durant or 2016 free agency, even though that’s a huge aspect of the Wizards’ thinking.
Signing Beal to an extension, any extension, now only eats into their available cap space next summer. And with player salaries skyrocketing as a result of the impending cap boon, there’s a chance Beal’s contract forces them to pillage the roster of other income just to remain in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes.
The Wizards are already toeing a fine line as it is. They’ll have close to $37 million invested in John Wall, Marcin Gortat, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Otto Porter leading into next summer, plus whatever Beal’s extension would cost if he lands one now. That extension, if worth the max, would account for more than $20 million in 2016-17 alone, giving the Wizards more than $57 million in committed salaries. Although the cap is set to reach $89 million next year, that would be cutting it awfully close.
Waiting diminishes Beal’s cap hit significantly. He would be on the books for $11.4 million, not $20-plus million, until he puts pen to paper on a new pact. And since the Wizards can exceed the cap to re-sign their own players, that essentially gives them $8-plus million in additional wiggle room. And every little bit counts.
There’s also the fact that Beal hasn’t yet shown he’s worth max money. He regressed during his third season, has battled injuries since entering the league, and he’s never recorded a PER higher than 14.3. So while he can score, and though he has flashed greatness in the postseason, the Wizards needn’t offer the max. Not right now.
Mostly because Beal hasn’t given them adequate reason to.
