Report: Still no progress in negotiations between Washington Wizards and Bradley Beal
It's now September and contract talks between the Washington Wizards and Bradley Beal are still stuck in neutral. There's still plenty of time for both sides to hammer out a new contract (October 31st is the deadline), but so far nobody will budge.
Here's more on the situation, courtesy of CSN Mid-Atlantic's J. Michael:
We've been over this numerous times. Beal wants a max contract and the Wizards don't want to give him one...yet. To preserve cap space and avoid a potential overpay, Washington would rather let Beal hit restricted free agency then match any offer sheet delivered by another team.
It makes sense, but if Beal grows unhappy with how the Wizards treat him, he can play one season under his qualifying offer then hit unrestricted free agency the following summer. But that's a worst-case scenario, and it's unlikely things go that far.
Beal isn't going anywhere. He's one of the NBA's best shooting guards and is only 22 years old. Failure to lock him up for the next four years would be an unmitigated disaster for Washington, a team on the rise that's all too familiar with how it feels to be at the bottom.
(h/t: CSN Mid-Atlantic)
When Bradley Beal gets to Verizon Center, and based on where his contract talks stand with the Wizards as of Thursday, he still won't have an extension. He has until the end of October to come to terms entering his fourth season. Beal, who will be playing 2015-16 on the final year of his rookie scale contract, is eligible to negotiate an extension with the Wizards, like John Wall did two summers ago, before becoming a restricted free agent. If they don't reach an agreement before season tips, they can't negotiate again until after the season.
