Bradley Beal has already stated his desire to be paid like a max player, and it sounds like the Washington Wizards are willing to make that happen.
The Washington Post’s Jorge Castillo reports that the Wizards are expected to offer Beal a max contract when free agency begins in July. For Beal, a max contract would be for five years and pay him around $22 million next season.
What’s interesting is that Castillo says that the Wizards might not have Beal immediately sign the deal. That would be a strategic move because the salary cap rules state a team can exceed the cap to sign a player for whom they hold Bird rights, which the Wizards do with Beal. That would enable the team to potentially sign other players first.
Beal was the No. 3 overall pick in 2012 and has never played more than 73 games in a season. He played in 55 this season as he battled injuries. Beal still has room for growth and has improved his field goal percentage in every year in the league.
