Who will be the next NBA star to try and force a trade?

1. Bradley Beal

Yeah, I know what he said at the recent NBA awards ceremony, where Beal told reporters he’d be open to signing a contract extension this summer which would keep him in Washington through the 2023-24 season.

I’m not buying it. Later in the same interview, Beal also said that he would factor several other things in his decision, including who Washington hires as GM and who the team signs in free agency.

At press time, you could be Washington’s GM and we wouldn’t know it. They would seem to be waiting on the Kawhi sweepstakes to play out so they know whether Masai Ujiri will be an option or not. That’s great, but in the meantime, free agency has almost completely come and gone. The results haven’t been ideal.

Thomas Satoransky, Trevor Ariza and Bobby Portis are out, Isiah Thomas and Ish Smith are in, while Thomas Bryant is back on a new deal. The team has gotten worse in no uncertain terms, and Washington has officially entered the “we’re having conversations with Boogie Cousins” stage of free agency.

Maybe that’s not a bad thing. As it stands, the Wiz figure to enter next season nowhere near contention for a playoff birth, but just good enough to miss out on a top pick (although with the new lottery odds, never say never).

Add it all up and it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Beal turns down a new deal, which would mean his departure is only a matter of time.