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Report: Bradley Beal Doesn't Want Wizards Trade, 'Frustrated' with Critics
February 2, 2021
Bradley Beal has yet to request a trade from the Washington Wizards but "is privately frustrated and confused with the perpetual portrayal of his situation," according to The Athletic's Shams Charania and Fred Katz.
Charania and Katz also spoke to an executive from another team who said the Wizards have no intention of moving the two-time All-Star: "[The Wizards] have maintained what they've always maintained. They're building something in Washington around Beal."
The report hit on contradictory sentiments from those who follow the NBA, which puts players in a no-win situation: "After seeing other players take criticism for requesting to leave teams, those sources say Beal feels he's getting nitpicked for choosing to stay in D.C., where he began his NBA career in 2012. He felt similarly when he signed an extension in October 2019. Speculation about his future has swirled since before then."
It's not hard to see why Beal might want out. The Wizards are 4-12 and sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference. Washington's continued losing despite Beal's best efforts is reaching farcical proportions:
The 27-year-old cuts an increasingly forlorn figure on the bench as the defeats pile up:
Following a 124-106 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans last Wednesday, a reporter asked Beal if he was frustrated. He responded by asking: "Is the sky blue?"
His contract situation looms on the horizon. His two-year, $71.8 million extension kicks in next season but allows him to opt out in 2022.
The Wizards face the possibility of losing Beal in a year-and-a-half with slim hopes of making significant improvements before then. If push comes to shove, trading him this summer would be the most pragmatic course of action.
But there's nothing to indicate that will happen anytime soon. This isn't a parallel situation to John Wall, whose exit from the nation's capital was telegraphed beforehand. Beal remains committed to the Wizards, and the Wizards don't want to trade him.
For now, the matter doesn't seem to go much deeper.