Days after publicly expressing his frustration with how the Wizards' season has gone, Bradley Beal, one of the most desired commodities in the NBA, has not reached the point of wanting to be traded, according to a report from Shams Charania and Fred Katz of The Athletic.
"Bradley Beal is frustrated — but not because he'd rather be somewhere else," the report says. "It's a fluid world, especially in the middle of an unpredictable pandemic and difficult economic times, but for now, the Wizards and Beal stand in the same place they did entering the season."
Just prior to the start of the season, the Wizards parted with longtime star John Wall after 10 seasons, trading him to Houston for superstar point guard Russell Westbrook, who's struggled to regain his typical All-NBA form since the deal was made. Westbrook has battled through early injuries, missing five games as the Wizards have sleep-walked to a 4-12 start, and still he's averaging 20.9 points, 9.4 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game — nearly a triple double, but while shooting 40.7 percent from the field.
All the while, Beal has continued his ascent into being one of the preeminent stars of the NBA, leading the league with 34.9 points per game, a full four points higher than the league's second leading scorer, Kevin Durant (30.9). While it's amounted to only four wins, the Wizards are coming off of one of their best performances of the year, a thrilling 149-146 comeback victory over the Brooklyn Nets (13-9), the third best team in the east, in which Beal and Westbrook combined for 78 points.
Per The Athletic: "Beal has so far expressed he wants to remain in Washington and has not indicated he prefers to be traded, sources with knowledge of the situation tell The Athletic. The Wizards, in turn, have no interest in trading him. Amid calls from the general public and even ones from around the league that a team at the bottom of the standings would be best off dealing its prized player, Washington has made it clear it has no plans to move him."
The Wizards' time to prove to Beal they can build a contending team around him is waning. Beal wants to win, which he's repeatedly made clear, but he also wants to win with the Wizards. Beal has a player option he can exercise after the 2021-22 season, leaving Washington with the narrowing window of under two seasons to put up or shut up.
Thus the impetus for all the swirling trade rumors — because of the time crunch, opposing teams think Beal can be had. As the thinking goes, wouldn't they rather get something for him as opposed to nothing?
So far, the Wizards have kept the wolves at bay with a message consistent enough that it's resonated throughout the league: they're not selling.
With the NBA trade deadline arriving March 25, "several teams that would be in the hunt for Beal do not expect him to become available this season," according to The Athletic.
"(The Wizards) have maintained what they’ve always maintained," a rival executive tells The Athletic. "They’re building something in Washington around Beal."
Read the full report in The Athletic.