Wizards' Bradley Beal Says He Hasn't Decided If He'll Participate in NBA Restart

Washington Wizards All-Star guard Bradley Beal said Wednesday that he is undecided whether he will participate in the resumption of the 2019-20 NBA season in Orlando, Florida, this month.

According to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk, Beal said he is working out in the event he does play but hasn't been "swayed one way or another."

The Wizards are one of only nine Eastern Conference teams that will play when the season resumes at ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex after a four-month suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Wizards are ninth in the East at 24-40.

Each of the 22 teams invited to Orlando are scheduled to play eight regular-season games beginning July 30. The top eight teams in each conference will reach the playoffs, although there could be an exception.

If the ninth-place team in a conference is within four games of the eighth-place team when the regular season ends, the squads will face each other for the right to compete in the playoffs. The No. 8 seed must beat the No. 9 seed once to advance, while the No. 9 seed must beat the No. 8 seed twice.

The Wizards are 5.5 games behind the eighth-place Orlando Magic, which means they have some work to do.

If Washington goes to Orlando without Beal, however, its playoff chances will take a massive hit. The 27-year-old shooting guard is a two-time All-Star, and he was in the midst of a career year before the 2019-20 campaign was halted.

Bradley Beal 2019-20 Highlights Reel 🎞️

In 57 games, Beal was averaging a career-high 30.5 points, 6.1 assists and 3.0 three-pointers per game to go along with 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals.

Per Fred Katz of The Athletic, Beal suggested that if he does decide to sit out the rest of the season, it will be because of the coronavirus pandemic rather than to focus on social issues: "We stopped playing basketball because of COVID. We didn't stop because of social injustice. And I feel like we still can raise awareness by playing basketball. ... But I get it from both sides of those who think it's a distraction. I don't think it is."

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported last month that Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving spoke on a call that included nearly 100 players and made an "impassioned plea" for them to sit out the rest of the campaign to place the spotlight on social issues.

Protests were sparked across the U.S.  and internationally after George Floyd, a Black man, was killed while in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25. Video showed since-fired officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd said he could not breathe. Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Wojnarowski noted that "several" players suggested they would be willing to go with Irving, but every indication is that the vast majority of players participate in the restart.

A handful of players have pulled out already, though, because of varying reasons, including wanting to protect themselves and their families from COVID-19 and not wanting to risk injury.

The list of non-participating players includes Wizards forward Davis Bertans, Portland Trail Blazers forward Trevor Ariza, Los Angeles Lakers guard Avery Bradley, Dallas Mavericks center Willie Cauley-Stein and Nets teammates DeAndre Jordan and Wilson Chandler.