Wizards GM Says He's 'Never Considered' Trading Bradley Beal Despite Rumors
Bradley Beal remains a heavily sought-after player around the league, but the Washington Wizards would rather build around him than trade him.
General manager Tommy Sheppard explained his mindset, via Brad Botkin of CBS Sports:
"The way that I look at this is pretty simple: If you were looking to build a team, Brad would be the type of player anyone would want to start with. You look at the character, the talent, the age, just the whole package ... Brad is without a doubt a core player in this league. Every team would love to have him, and we do. So we've never considered anything other than a situation where Brad is with us and leading us forward. We made that clear to him on the first day we could offer him an extension, and we'll continue to make that clear."
The 6'5", 207-pound Beal is coming off the best season of his career, averaging 25.6 points, 5.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game, all career highs. He also played every game and led the NBA in minutes (36.9 per game) while earning his second All-Star selection.
With Washington struggling to a 32-50 record last season without the injured John Wall since late December and only two years remaining on Beal's contract, there is understandable speculation about a possible trade. The Miami Heat are among the teams who would certainly be interested if a deal did occur.
"What we know for sure is the Heat love Beal and hope to land him either before 2021 free agency or during," Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported in August.
Despite the interest, the Wizards have shown no intention of dealing away the shooting guard.
The team offered the St. Louis native a maximum three-year extension in July and would also be willing to negotiate shorter deals, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Even if the 2012 No. 3 overall draft pick out of Florida doesn't sign a new contract, Sheppard said he still doesn't plan to shop the All-Star.
Allowing him to have input during free agency could also help.
"We are going to surround him with guys he wants to play with," Sheppard said.
It appears the 26-year-old will remain in Washington at least until his contract runs out in 2021.
