On Monday, Chris Sheridan of GetMoreSports.com wrote on Twitter that Bradley Beal wants to leave the Wizards.
There is no shortage of reasons as to why Beal would want to leave. In general, the Wizards are just not performing at a high enough level after Beal spent six NBA seasons with the team. Furthermore, the Wizards have taken a step back in each of the last two seasons, and it’s apparent that the team will need to rebuild sooner rather than later — even if the Wizards have won six of their last 11 games.
However, it’s also important to note that Sheridan’s report doesn’t indicate that Beal is likely heading out of Washington in the very near future.
The Wizards actually have some leverage on Beal, at least when it comes to keeping his rights in the short term. Beal is on a maximum level contract, but he is still on the right side of 30 and there are multiple teams who could value his skills to offer multiple assets for him, like draft picks or other young players who need a change of scenery. There are probably multiple teams who could offer multiple players and picks for Beal, and the Wizards can pick which team offers them the most.
We’ll add more as more information is available. But for now, it’s apparent that things aren’t looking too good for the Wizards in the short term.