The Washington Wizards offered a contract extension to Bradley Beal in the summer, as the two-time NBA All-Star was considering his options for the future. He had until October 21 to make a decision, and the two sides finally reached an agreement with the deadline looming around.
Beal agreed to a two-year, $72 million maximum extension that also includes a player option for the 2022-23 NBA season. If he opts out of the deal in the summer of 2022, coinciding with his 10th season for the Wizards, then Beal would be eligible to ink the biggest contract in NBA history.
While rumors had linked the guard with a move away from Washington, the team was determined to keep him around by any means necessary. For the past three months, they had been working with Beal’s agent Mark Bartlestein in hopes of getting a deal done.
“This was a long process that really covered the entire summer and fall, including numerous conversations and meetings among Ted, Tommy, myself and Brad,” said Bartelstein to ESPN .
Many teams have had Beal on their radar, as he was set to join a lineup of All-Star players in the 2021 free agency pool. As previously reported by The Inquisitr , Beal allowed his agent to handle the negotiations with the Wizards, while he focused on the upcoming NBA season.
“This was probably going to be the most important decision that Brad was going to make in his career, and we wanted to give Ted and Tommy every opportunity to present their vision for the franchise. And they’ve genuinely done a wonderful job of getting Brad excited about the future and how they plan to build the Wizards team around him,” added Bartelstein.
Coming off a disappointing season, the Wizards hope to bounce back with a strong year under Beal’s leadership. With John Wall expected to miss the entire 2019-20 NBA season, there will be higher expectations on Beals to show his worth as the number one option. A return to the postseason would be a good first step for the Wizards, as they face stiff competition in the Eastern Conference.
Now that Beal has signed an extension, he’s guaranteed to finish the year with the Wizards. It’s a flexible situation for both sides given the terms of the deal. Depending on the franchise’s success, a trade involving Beal may still happen in the future. But for now, he has made it clear that he is fully committed to turning the team around.