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Washington Wizards planning extension for Bradley Beal in 2015

By Evan Massey

Oct 6, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) during practice before the game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 6, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) during practice before the game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /
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Bradley Beal may have broken his wrist, sidelining him for the next 6-8 weeks, but that won’t stop extension talks from taking place.

The Washington Wizards are going to be without shooting guard Bradley Beal for a decent chunk of games due to a wrist injury, but that doesn’t stop them from looking forward and planning out when to give him a contract extension.

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According to a report from HoopsRumors.com, the Wizards are planning to give Beal his extension in 2015. Beal has the potential to turn into a star if he continues progressing the way that he has been so far, and the Wizards couldn’t be more excited about it.

From HoopsRumors.com:

"It’s conceivable that Beal will be worth the maximum salary, as Michael opines, but it remains unknown whether the team wants to jump into a max deal with the Mark Bartelstein client just as it did with Wall. The maximum salary is tied to the salary cap, and it’s unclear just how high the salary cap will spike for the summer of 2016, when an extension for Beal would kick in. The league’s new $24 billion TV deal also takes effect that summer, but while some projections have the cap surging as high as $80MM, it’s not yet known if the league will phase in more gradual increases, and if so, how the league would structure those incremental rises. Waiting until Beal hits restricted free agency in the summer of 2016 would give both sides the ability to see where the max and the cap are situated before committing to a deal."

Beal put together a great season last year with the Wizards, playing in and starting 73 regular season game. He averaged 17.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game, and shot 41.9 percent from the field overall and 40.2 percent from behind the arc. Those numbers show major improvement, and he was a force to be reckoned with for opposing defenses.

At just 21 years of age, there is plenty of time for Beal to grow into the star that many expect him to be. He gained valuable experience this past summer playing Team USA, and is ready to take the next step in his career when he returns from his wrist injury. There is no question that the Wizards have one of the best back-courts in the league with John Wall running the point, and both players have a lot of room to improve moving forward.

It’s going to be very interesting to see what happens when Beal comes back from injury. The Wizards are going to ask for a lot from him this season, and he has worked hard this offseason to be able to step up and shoulder the extra scoring that they’ll need. Either way, a major payday is coming for Beal at some point in the very near future.

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