Nick Wass/Associated Press
The Washington Wizards have “shown exactly zero interest” in trading Bradley Beal despite receiving “plenty of calls” on the shooting guard, according to The Athletic’s Fred Katz on Friday.
The 25-year-old Beal is under contract through the 2020-21 campaign and is owed nearly $56 million over the next two seasons, per Spotrac.
The seventh-year guard is enjoying his finest season to date, averaging career highs in scoring (24.7 points per game), assists (5.0) and rebounding (5.1). He is shooting 46.7 percent from the floor, which is the second-highest mark of his career.
Beal has been asked to step up his game since All-Star point guard John Wall underwent season-ending heel surgery in late December. With Wall sidelined, Beal is averaging 27.9 points per game while leading Washington to an 8-5 record in 13 games.
Beal’s future in the nation’s capital came into question in November after the Wizards were involved in what Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic described as a “volatile practice.” In that practice, an “exasperated” Beal told team officials that he had “been dealing with this for seven years.”
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported in the aftermath that no Wizards player was untouchable in trade talks, including both Beal and Wall.
Washington (21-27) has some work to do to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time since 2015-16, as it currently sits in ninth place in the Eastern Conference. However, according to Candace Buckner and Scott Allen of the Washington Post, Beal recently told Wizards owner Ted Leonsis he believes the team has “got enough” and will make the postseason.
Leonsis added that the Wizards will “never, ever tank,” per Buckner and Allen. In other words, trading Beal is not high on his priority list.
Katz notes that Washington could receive a nice package in return for Beal, given his play and reasonable contract. For now, though, the Wizards do not appear willing to entertain trade offers for their star.
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