NBA Season Preview 2019-20: The one reason to watch each and every team

Washington Wizards: Bradley Beal’s new contract tour

Can money really buy happiness? After agreeing a two-year, $72 million extension, that takes him off the trade market for the 2019-20 campaign and keeps him on one of the NBA’s most hopeless rosters, Bradley Beal is about to find out. While this move positions him to be a top-tier free agent if he opts out in 2022, it’s a curious decision considering how life just keeps turning his lemonade back into lemons. The guy just can’t catch a break with his supporting cast, and he’s pretty much the only good thing the Washington Wizards have going for them.

Not long ago, it seemed like he, John Wall and Otto Porter Jr. were on the path to running the Eastern Conference. But injuries, playoff woes and an overpaid Porter never becoming the third member of their Big 3 halted that progress dead in its tracks. Now Beal faces a lonely season (or three!) ahead, since Wall has been recuperating from season-ending heel surgery and an Achilles tear he suffered in February.

Beal has become quite a singular talent, averaging 25.6 points, 5.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game on .475/.351/.808 shooting splits last year with very little help. He’ll have even less this time around, since his best teammate is probably … Thomas Bryant? Ish Smith? Davis Bertans? A recovering Isaiah Thomas? Rookie Rui Hachimura? The picture isn’t pretty.

Much like last year, the only on-court reprieve from such a brutal, long season ahead will be Beal putting his head down and putting up career-best numbers. Talks of a contract extension and “Save Bradley Beal!” trade conjecture won’t be following him around this season anymore, but watching him use his play to raise a middle finger to whichever basketball gods put him in this situation will be the only reason to tune in for Wizards games.