Bradley Beal Trade Rumors: Wizards Don't Want to Move Star Despite Buzz

Trade talk has floated around Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal, but he's reportedly staying put for now.  

Mike Singer of the Denver Post reported the latest Tuesday:

"[Beal has] given no indication he wants to leave Washington, and multiple league sources believe the Wizards don’t want to move him. He has two more seasons before deciding on a 2022-’23 player option, which buys the Wizards time. Not that the Wizards have been in anything other than purgatory the last few seasons, but moving Beal means a full-scale rebuild."

The report came amid a larger conversation regarding whether Beal could potentially find himself as a Denver Nugget via trade.

Such a move would require Denver to deal Michael Porter Jr., per Singer, who said that is a "non-starter" for the Nuggets "unless they get a superstar in return."

Beal averaged a career-high 30.5 points and 6.1 assists for the Wizards last season. He absorbed more usage without John Wall, who missed the entire 2019-20 campaign with a ruptured left Achilles tendon.

Beal has made it clear multiple times that he wants to stay in Washington, D.C. He said as much in a March 6 article written with Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated:

"I hate change. If it happens, it happens. But if I can control it, I will finish in D.C.

"For me, I am kind of loyal to a fault. I'm kind of like Dame [Damian Lillard] in this realm that it would probably mean so much more to you winning it in Portland or winning it in D.C., because you know you grinding all those years. Then once you eventually come out of that light, I feel like the feeling would be so much grander than necessarily jumping ship. Jumping ship is kind of the easy way out. But at the same time, there's no guarantee that you'll win."

When trade rumors regarding the Brooklyn Nets' potential interest in Beal swirled in May, the ex-Florida star took time to address them while reiterating his stance that he wants to stay in comments made to ESPN's Jackie MacMullan.

"It's not the first time I've heard this kind of talk. It's interesting. To me, I look at it as a sign of respect, that I've been doing good things and guys want to play with me.

"That's an unbelievable feeling. When you hear that Kyrie [Irving] and KD [Kevin Durant] want you, s--t, that's amazing. At the same time, you don't know how much there is to it, or how easy it would be to do. And I've put down roots in D.C. I've dedicated myself to this town, this community. I love it here, and it would feel great to know I could grind out winning here instead of jumping to another team."

Beal is under contract with Washington through the 2022-23 season after inking a two-year, $72 million max extension last October, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. 

At the time, Wojnarowski said that Beal would be able to sign the most lucrative contract in NBA history in 2022 (five years, $266 million) if he declines his 2022-23 option and re-signs with the Wizards.

Injuries hit the Wizards hard last season, with the team putting 23 players on the court during its 25-47 campaign. They also featured 16 different starters, and Beal and rookie Rui Hachimura were the only two players who started every game they played.

The Wizards will look to get Wall back from injury in 2020-21, and they also own the Nos. 9 and 37 picks in the 2020 NBA draft.