Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal will not participate in the NBA restart due to a right rotator cuff injury, the team announced.
Beal reportedly experienced discomfort in his shoulder earlier in the season, but the symptoms got worse over the course of the NBA hiatus.
The 27-year-old will continue the rehabbing process over the rest of this summer.
“Bradley did everything possible to be ready to play, but after closely monitoring his individual workouts we came to the conclusion that it was best for him to sit out the upcoming games in Orlando and avoid the risk of further injury,” Wizards General Manager Tommy Sheppard said. “Although he was able to play through the majority of the season with the injury, the layoff from March until now did not leave any of us feeling comfortable that he would have enough time to be ready to perform at the extremely high level we are all accustomed to seeing and agreed that not participating in the games in Orlando was the right decision.”
Beal trained like he would play in Orlando, but, ultimately, he and the team had to come to the difficult decision.
“This was a difficult decision and one that I did not take lightly as the leader of this team,” Beal said. “I wanted to help my teammates compete for a playoff spot in Orlando, but also understand that this will be best for all of us in the long term. I appreciate the support of my teammates, the fans and the entire organization and look forward to returning next season to continue the progress we have made.”
Beal averaged 30.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field.
The Wizards are not eligible to sign a substitute player because Beal was ruled out due to injury, rather than voluntarily opting out.
