Twitter: @GGirlSports. 

It wasn’t long ago. Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal signed a five-year $251 million-dollar supermax contract in 2022. At 29 years old, Beal's loyalty has been to the Wizards, despite never winning a championship in his 11-year tenure. With the NBA Draft coming up next Thursday, there have been reports surrounding Bradley Beal’s future with the Washington Wizards.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, rival franchises have reached out to the Washington Wizards, and according to ESPN. they are ‘exploring the possibility of trading for three-time All-Star, Bradley Beal.

 Shams Charania of the Athletic and stadium, reports, the Wizards are in “serious talks” with two finalists, the Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns. Let’s break down Beal’s contract, stats, and the odds for another team to acquire him.

Bradley Beal’s Contract

Year                Age      Base Salary      Cap Hit % of league        Team
2022-2023      29        $43,279,250     $43,279,250 35.00 %       Wizards
2023-2024      30        $46,741,590     $46,741,590 34.88 %       Wizards
2024-2025      31        $50,203,930     $50,203,930 35.11 %       Wizards
2025-2026      32        $53,666,270     $53,666,270 34.12 %       Wizards
2026-2027      33        $57,128,610     $57,128,610 33.02 %       Wizards

*All stats provided by Spotrac.com*

Beal has two previous contracts in his 11-year career. From 2012-2015, Beal signed a 4-year, $18 million dollar contract with the Wizards. In fact, it was his rookie contract which included an $8 million guaranteed at signing. From 2016-2022, Beal signed a 5-year contract with up to $127 million, which was a maximum contract. From 2021-2022, Bradley Beal signed a maximum extension worth $70 million and 2 years.

Although Beal has never won a championship with the Wizards, he’s been one of the most productive guards in the league. He shot a career-high 50.6 Percent from the field this past season, and is a career 46 percent field goal, and 37 percent three-point shooter. In fact, from 2019-2021, Beal was averaging over 30 points per game in back-to- back seasons.

In his most recent extension, Bradley Beal has a full no-trade clause, meaning the Wizards cannot trade him to any team, and Beal would have a final say. According to ESPN Bobby Marks, Beal was the only player to receive a full no-trade clause at the signing of the extension, and he received a 5th year option, as well as a 15 % trade kicker.

What is a Trade Kicker?

According to basketball-reference.com, a trade kicker is the percentage of a player’s salary that is awarded as a bonus in the event of a trade. This essentially means that if Bradley Beal is traded to another team, he will make more money. One would assume how much value and loyalty Beal has to the Wizards and vice versa.

2023-2024 NBA Championship Odds

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Phoenix Suns: +850
Miami Heat: +1800
Washington Wizards: +30000

Bradley Beal’s Next Team Odds:

Washington Wizards: +140
Miami Heat: +550
Phoenix Suns: +3000

Washington Wizards:

The Wizards finished 12th in the Eastern Conference and failed to make the playoffs for the second straight year. In addition, Bradley Beal hasn’t played close to 80 games since the 2018-2019 season due to injuries.  In fact, he’s played 60 games and under the past four straight years. After finishing 35-47, and 3rd in the Southeast Division, we must question whether the Wizards are better off building around Beal, or completely rebuild the team.

Although Kristaps Porzingis revitalized is career in Washington, both him, Kyle Kuzma, Kendrick Nunn, Taj Gibson, Quenton Jackson, and Jay Huff are all free agents. With the retention of Beal, the Washington Wizards are over the cap -$65,915,924. The Wizards will have to find some cheaper options if they want to rebuild around Beal. However, it sounds like new GM Michael Winger is ready to implode this roster.

Miami Heat:

The Miami Heat, in my opinion, are a piece or two away from becoming NBA Champions. The Heat made it to the 2023 NBA Finals without players Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo. With the declining play of Kyle Lowry, Miami lacked a true guard that could lead this team in conjunction with Jimmy Butler. The Miami Heat are over the cap -$67,381,252, and their average roster age is 28.4.

Furthermore, Max Strus, Kevin Love, Victor Oladipo, Gabe Vincent, Udonis Haslem, Omer Yurtseven, Jamal Cain, and Orlando Robinson are all now free agents. With Kyle Lowry and Caleb Martin in the books until 2024, do the Heat package a deal including them? The big question will be, are the Heat willing to part ways with shooting guard Tyler Herro along with a few draft picks. The Heat currently hold the 18th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. If Miami acquires Bradley Beal, he will make an instant impact on this Heat team. Jimmy Butler, along with Bam Adebayo, would finally have a third star that would provide immediate scoring.

Phoenix Suns:

The Phoenix Suns acquired All-Star Kevin Durant in the 2023 NBA Trade deadline, and it was a disappointment when it came to the playoffs. Durant was limited by injuries and had less than 30 games to develop chemistry with Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, and veteran Guard Chris Paul. The Suns survived the first round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Clippers, however, were defeated by the Denver Nuggets in the next round. The Suns lost guard Chris Paul to injury, and couldn’t get it done with Durant, Booker, and Ayton.

Players such as Torrey Craig, Terrence Ross, Saben Lee, Damion Lee, Bismack Biyombo, Josh Okogie, Darius Bazley, Jock Landale, and Ish Wainright are all now free agents. Although the Suns Cap Space is $-74,247,919, it’s clear they would have to part ways with Chris Paul, who’s on the hook from $28-$30 million until 2025. The Phoenix Suns lost their 21st overall pick from their trade with the Brooklyn Nets and have the 52 overall pick this Thursday.  Although the Suns have two stars in Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, much like the Heat, they are looking to make another championship run.

According to NBA Insider Chris Hayes, Beal expressed the terms in which he would go to the Suns. For him to waive his no trade clause, that includes Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, however, it would not include DeAndre Ayton.

Overall, Bradley Beal is a tremendous player who's under the age of 30.  He would make an instant impact for any championship content team. The question is, who has the assets to acquire Beal, and are they willing to pay over 50 million dollars annually for the next three to four seasons.

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Sara Jane is a full-time content creator, focusing on both college basketball, the NBA, NFL, and writer of Ballislife.com. Don’t forget to follow her on Twitter/YouTube/Kick/Twitch/Instagram: @GGirlSports.

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