The Washington Wizards haven’t had much success in attracting top free agents, but they’ve done an excellent job in retaining their own core players over the years. With John Wall and Bradley Beal both under large contracts through 2022, GM Tommy Sheppard had to get creative in his first year to surround his All-Stars with potential long-term pieces. Now that Beal has emerged as one of the league’s best scorers, his upcoming Free Agency has gotten plenty of attention and his future outlook will be a major factor in the nation’s capital’s basketball future as well.
Bradley Beal’s development into an absolute bucket has sky rocketed since John Wall’s injury woes. As Beal continued to soar up the scoring ranks, his name surfaced over and over again in potential trade packages. Despite teams fantasizing about pairing Beal with their top players, Beal continued to pledge his loyalty to Washington D.C.
First year Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard kicked off his tenure by inking the St. Louis native to a 2y/$72M extension prior to the 2019-20 season that keeps him in the nation’s capital through 2022 with a 2022-23 player option. With the new deal in place and the assurance he wouldn’t be traded during this year, Beal delivered with the best season of his eight-year NBA career. His lethal mid-range game, ambidextrous handle, and precision shooting from outside the arc has fueled his meteoric rise this season.
Despite putting up epic numbers and being voted as an All-Star STARTER among the players, Beal ended up getting rejected from the event as one of the greatest snubs in history. Beal looks to have been highly motivated from that, as he has dominated the opposition since then, averaging a whopping 36.5 PPG and setting a DC franchise record for most consecutive games of 25+ points.
As Bradley Beal continues to improve his shooting, passing, and handles, the Wizards are attempting to lock him down for the rest of his career. With Beal’s outside shooting prowess already establishing him as the franchise leader in three pointers made, he’s attracted trade rumors ever since Wall went down. However, if the DC backcourt duo can make some deep playoff runs in the coming years with a better supporting cast, they’re both well on their way to hanging their jerseys in the Capitol One Arena rafters.
FUTURE OUTLOOK: A
The Washington Wizards came into the season with little to no depth at the Shooting Guard position as Jordan McCrae was the primary backup before he was shipped to Denver at the Trade Deadline (to acquire Shabazz Napier). The son of Super Sonics legend and HOF Gary Payton, Gary Payton II turned a 10-day opportunity into a season-long contract. With Bradley Beal starting all 82 games in each of the last two years and leading the entire NBA in minutes played in 2018-19, the Wiz knew they had to alleviate some of the pressure from the star’s shoulders.
The Wizards acknowledged that by acquiring Jerome Robinson from the Los Angeles Clippers in a midseason trade, giving the organization their third former first round pick from the 2018 NBA Draft (Troy Brown Jr, Moritz Wagner). Robinson struggled to find his footing in a crowded Clippers backcourt and his development has been slightly hindered so far in his young career. However, the former Boston College sharpshooter has no excuse in Washington as he has a real opportunity to be a part of the Wizards future plans.
Although Troy Brown Jr. is listed as a SF, he was drafted with the 15th pick because of his ability to dribble, pass, and score from the perimeter. With the 20-year-old Brown coming in at 6’7, the Wizards have a bright young group of wings for the future, but it impedes on retaining Beal for the long run and the development of Jerome Robinson.
The Wiz are fortunate enough to have drafted Beal and Wall who have remained loyal to Washington despite rough circumstances. Even after playing together for eight years and fighting through organization chaos, fake rumors continue to label Beal and Wall as a duo that cannot coexist. The District has no choice but to stick with their two franchise cornerstones until one of them decides they’ve had enough. Until that day comes, this team will only go as far as those stars can take them.
WIZARDS SG OUTLOOK: B+
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