Bradley Beal has bucked the trend of star players demanding trades in the NBA, and he doesn’t understand why that has made him a target.
Beal, 27, has been with the Wizards since they drafted him No. 3 overall in 2012. The team made the playoffs in four of Beal’s first six seasons with Washington. He became used to being on a competitive team. But then John Wall got hurt, the team traded Otto Porter, and they’ve been rebuilding since.
With the team bringing up the rear in the Eastern Conference, NBA observers figure Beal could be a trade target. But he as consistently said he is not interested in a trade and that he wants to remain in Washington and see it through the rebuilding process.
According to a story published by Shams Charania and Fred Katz for The Athletic, Beal doesn’t understand all the talk pushing him to seek a trade.
“He is privately frustrated and confused with the perpetual portrayal of his situation, according to sources familiar with his thinking,” The Athletic wrote. They say Beal feels he is being “nitpicked” for not seeking a trade out of D.C.
It’s a great point. Players get criticized for ditching a team by demanding a trade, and here’s Beal wanting to stay with his team but facing constant questions.
The real issue is the rumor culture of the NBA more so than Beal. The focus is constantly on the future, often more than the talk about the present. Who will be traded where, and where will free agents sign are the frequent topics of the day. Beal just finds himself at the center of those topics because he seems like a natural trade candidate. He should try hard to ignore the chatter, though that is difficult to do when the media and fans pepper you with questions about it constantly.
