The dominoes are beginning to fall for the 2012 NBA draft class with more and more contract extensions getting hammered out as the days go by. This summer has already seen fellow incoming fourth years Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, and, more recently, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist agree to new long-term deals with their respective teams. Now, the Washington Wizards and guard Bradley Beal could be next. But the two sides could be a lot further apart on negotiations than originally expected.
J. Michael of CSN Washington reported earlier this week that extension talks between Beal and the Wizards have hit an impasse over the former No. 3 overall pick’s desire for a max deal. Beal has supposedly made it clear that he views himself as a max player and wants to be paid as such. However, the Wizards, while willing to offer the University of Florida product an extension with the team, aren’t keen on giving him one just yet.
At the surface, Beal fits the profile of a max-level talent. Explosive 22-year-old guards who can penetrate and connect at a career 40 percent clip from deep don’t exactly grow on trees. Beal’s ability to make plays off-the-bounce and be a strong finisher in transition have made him a natural fit next to John Wall in forming one of the Association’s brightest young backcourts. His stellar 98.9 defensive rating last season also suggests that he can more than hold his own on defense, a skill that Kidd-Gilchrist just got paid handsomely for. After helping the Wizards, along with Paul Pierce, stay competitive in a second-round series against Atlanta last season that Wall missed most of, Beal certainly looks like a crucial core piece for Washington to build their future around.
But Washington’s reservations in simply handing out that kind of money willy-nilly are reasonable. Beal’s athleticism and decision-making leave a bit to be desired, and he doesn’t yet get to the line at an acceptable rate for a two guard. But more than anything, it seems like the Wizards want to make sure they have the necessary financial room to make their much-buzzed-about run at Washington native Kevin Durant next offseason. The impending salary cap eruption should help them out. But with over $70 million still owed to Wall and nearly $50 million to Marcin Gortat, a premature max extension for Beal would leave the team only a delicate margin of error heading into the meeting with the Slim Reaper next summer.
I’m fully expecting Beal to remain with the team for many years to come, perhaps even on that max extension he’s seeking. But when you have the free agency of the best pure scorer in the NBA lurking a few months away and he just so happens to be a native of your hometown, flexibility and foresight become the law of the land. Expect the Wizards to take a “wait and see” approach with Beal’s extension talks, much like the Spurs did with Kawhi Leonard this summer. San Antonio waited on extending Leonard and allowed him to test the waters of restricted free agency. That afforded them the wiggle room needed to both retain the former Finals MVP AND land their top offseason target in LaMarcus Aldridge (amongst other helpful factors).
Make no mistake. Bradley Beal is worth that money. But with bigger, Durantula-sized fish to fry, he’s not worth it for the Wizards just quite yet and they know it.
Image Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
*Stats courtesy of NBA.com*
