Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal has not yet made any official trade request. Despite major shortcomings and disappointments from his team, the young star has emerged as one of the best scorers in the game, earning himself a starting spot in the 2021 All-Star game.
But now, according to several reports, Beal is questioning his future in Washington, to the point where he finds himself contemplating a trade from the franchise completely.
“He knows he has to make a decision before the draft,” one source with direct knowledge of Beal’s thinking told Bleacher Report. For the past year, people familiar with Beal’s dedicated relationship to the Wizards have consistently rebuffed the notion he had interest in playing elsewhere. Yet a second source close to Beal, when contacted by B/R, confirmed the situation is now fluid.
And while nobody knows for sure what led up to this change of heart by Beal (who, not long ago, signed an extension with the Wizards), there are whispers the team’s recent coaching search has played a significant role.
Here’s the report by Fred Katz of The Athletic:
According to sources, one of the reasons he was frustrated when his top choice for the job — 76ers assistant Sam Cassell, an assistant with Washington during Beal’s first couple of NBA seasons — couldn’t land a second interview.
The Wizards fired Scott Brooks after a 34-38 season. It was an understandable move, especially given the makeup of the roster.
In his place, the team hired Wes Unseld Jr., who worked for 14 years in scouting and coaching roles within the reorganization before eventually moving on to become one of the league’s rising star assistant coaches.
As for Sam Cassell, Beal was very high on him to take the job, and it’s clear from the latest reports that he feels disrespected and unheard that the Wizards weren’t even really considering giving him a hire.
