The belief all offseason had been that Bradley Beal was leaning toward turning down the three-year max contract extension the Washington Wizards offered him, but the two sides have found some middle ground.
Beal’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday that the All-Star guard has agreed to a two-year max extension with the Wizards worth $72 million. The extension begins with the 2021-22 season and includes a player option for 2022-23. It guarantees Beal roughly $130 million over the next four years.
“Brad has always made it clear to me, that in a perfect world, he would never leave Washington,” Bartelstein said of the new deal. “He has felt an obligation to be the focal point in turning the Wizards into an elite team. He’s thrilled about all the resources that (owner Ted Leonsis) is pouring into the franchise and thrilled how committed (Leonsis) and Tommy are to building something special.”
With the two-year extension, Beal will still have the option of hitting free agency around his 30th birthday. He would also have 10 years of service at that time, making him eligible to sign a mammoth five-year, $266 million contract with Washington or a four-year, $198 million deal with another team. Beal gets the financial security now with the potential to secure another massive deal when he’s still in the prime of his career, so the extension makes sense for both him and the Wizards.
Beal averaged career highs virtually across the board last season with 25.6 points, 5.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. He seems to be getting better each year, and Wizards coach Scott Brooks has already made a bold prediction about him going forward. With John Wall recovering from a torn Achilles, Beal is very clearly the star of the show in Washington.
