Bradley Beal Eyes Wizards Return in Future, Becoming Team's All-Time Leading Scorer

Bradley Beal hasn't yet closed the Washington Wizards chapter of his NBA career following his offseason trade to the Phoenix Suns.

"The goal is to have the No. 3 retired up in the rafters," he told Andscape's Marc J. Spears. "I'm 160 points away from being an all-time leading scorer and hopefully one day down the line that's something that I can go back and finish and accomplish."

Beal spent 11 seasons in Washington, and his 15,391 points are second only to Elvin Hayes (15,551) all time among Wizards players.

Given the small gap between he and Hayes, the 30-year-old would almost certainly claim the franchise scoring record if he were to wind up back in the nation's capital.

Suiting up for the Wizards again will be the tricky part.

Beal's contract runs through the 2026-27 season. Washington could theoretically acquire him before then, but it would require the team to assume either his $53.7 million salary in 2025-26, his $57.1 million player option for the following year, or a combination of the two.

The three-time All-Star will be 34 by the time he's a free agent in 2027, and it's impossible know what his or the Wizards' priorities will be by then.

That's especially true for the Wizards when they don't have a young cornerstone who clearly stands to inherit the mantle left behind by Beal. While Jordan Poole or 2023 first-round draft pick Bilal Coulibaly could emerge as that kind of piece, nobody will be too shocked if the organization is pinning its hopes to somebody else within a few seasons.

Not to mention, there's an entirely new front office regime in place, one that might not feel all that connected to Beal. Team president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins didn't draft the veteran wing in 2012, nor did they sign him to a supermax extension.

There will be a time and place for the Wizards to properly honor Beal's contributions over a decade-plus of service. But the team is likely to leave emotion aside if the opportunity to add him to the roster ever presents itself.