Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal has so far expressed he wants to remain with the team and has not indicated he prefers a trade, according to Shams Charania and Fred Katz of The Athletic.
Beal feels frustrated and confused with the portrayal of his situation with the Wizards, as he feels like he’s “getting nitpicked” for choosing to stay with the Wizards amid all the trade rumors.
Per The Athletic’s report:
Beal has so far expressed he wants to remain in Washington and has not indicated he prefers to be traded, sources with knowledge of the situation tell The Athletic. The Wizards, in turn, have no interest in trading him. Amid calls from the general public and even ones from around the league that a team at the bottom of the standings would be best off dealing its prized player, Washington has made it clear it has no plans to move him.
He is privately frustrated and confused with the perpetual portrayal of his situation, according to sources familiar with his thinking. After seeing other players take criticism for requesting to leave teams, those sources say Beal feels he’s getting nitpicked for choosing to stay in D.C., where he began his NBA career in 2012. He felt similarly when he signed an extension in October 2019. Speculation about his future has swirled since before then.
Beal’s two-year, $72 million max extension begins next season, with a player option for 2022-2023.
The 27-year-old is currently leading the NBA in scoring at 34.9 points per game, along with 5.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game, while shooting 47.9 percent from the field.
The public has been convinced that if a star player’s team isn’t winning, he automatically wants out.
While this may be the case in some scenarios, Beal doesn’t seem interested in taking his talents to another team right now.
Instead, he plans on helping make the Wizards into a contending playoff team, no matter how long it takes, which is good for the Wizards and the NBA.
