Wizards News: Bradley Beal Not Interested In ‘Jumping Ship’: ‘If I Can Control It, I Will Finish In D.C.’
Though he just signed a contract extension, rumors still continue to swirl around All-Star shooting guard Bradley Beal and his future with the Washington Wizards. Beal may be posting incredible numbers almost every night, but it is still not enough to carry the Wizards back to the playoff race. With the Wizards expected to miss the playoffs this season, most people see Beal following the footsteps of other NBA superstars this summer and start trying to find ways off his team.
Despite his desire to be in a winning environment, Beal has already said on numerous occasions that he has no intention of demanding a trade and wants to finish his career with the Wizards. In a recent interview with Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, Beal expressed the same sentiment, saying that he doesn’t have any plans of “jumping ship” in the offseason.
“But if I can control it, I will finish in D.C. For me, I am kind of loyal to a fault. I’m kind of like Dame [Damian Lillard] in this realm that it would probably mean so much more to you winning it in Portland or winning it in D.C., because you know you grinding all those years. Then once you eventually come out of that light, I feel like the feeling would be so much grander than necessarily jumping ship. Jumping ship is kind of the easy way out. But at the same time, there’s no guarantee that you’ll win.”
It’s definitely a nice thing for the Wizards to hear their best player publicly stating his loyalty to the team. However, it remains a big question mark how long Beal can be true to his word that he wants to spend his entire career with the Wizards. As of now, the Wizards should be starting to think of ways to keep Beal happy in Washington.
Aside from waiting for the return of John Wall from an injury, the Wizards should also strongly consider making upgrades this summer. A healthy backcourt of Wall and Beal may help the Wizards return to the playoffs in the 2020-21 NBA season, but without adding another legitimate superstar to their roster, they don’t have a clear path of reaching the NBA Finals and bringing home the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Some of the potential offseason targets for the Wizards include Kevin Love and Andre Drummond of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Al Horford of the Philadelphia 76ers, Blake Griffin of the Detroit Pistons, Gordon Hayward of the Boston Celtics, and DeMar DeRozan of the San Antonio Spurs.
