Bradley Beal is among a handful of NBA players who are celebrated for their loyalty to a franchise, and although he doesn’t have any immediate plans to leave the Wizards, there appear to be limits to how long he’ll wait for the team to become a contender. In an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Beal talked repeatedly about how much he wants to compete for a title, something Washington hasn’t been in position to do since he arrived there a decade ago.
“I’m patient, but there comes a time where you have to be a little selfish and draw a line in the sand, for sure,” Beal said. “So, I have thoughts in my head but at the same time I stay in the moment. I stay engaged with what we have and what we do and don’t get caught up in noise and just go from there, take it a day at a time, control what I can control.”
The Wizards have just three playoff series wins in Beal’s time with the organization and have missed the postseason in three of the past four years. They won 10 of their last 14 games before the All-Star break, but they’re still just ninth in the East, leaving Beal far short of what he wants most.
“I feel like I’ve accomplished a good amount of my career,” he said. “I’ve been an All-Star, been All-NBA, averaged 30 (points per game) in the league. It’s just, ‘OK, what can I do now? What do you want to do?’ Win, win, win, win, win at the highest level, play in meaningful games, win multiple playoff series, get to the Finals, win a Finals. That’s what I want to do. That’s the goal.”
Beal covers several other topics in the interview:
On the mixed emotions he felt attending Game 4 of last year’s NBA Finals:
“I was sitting with my wife, and I was like telling (Jayson Tatum) just like, ‘No, guard him, guard him,’ like I’m on the team. Man, I got to chill. But just the atmosphere, as a competitor, you’re like, ‘Yo, I want to be a part of this. I want to hoop on this stage.’ So that, there was nothing like it. I’d have drove myself mad if I’d have went to more than one game.”
On the disappointment of missing the Olympics after being placed in health and safety protocols:
“It’s something that’s out of your control. Obviously, in hindsight, I wish I would’ve got the vaccine. I wish I’d have had it at the time because I could’ve avoided all that. But everything happens for a reason. Again, I’m proud of the opportunity. I could come again in another year, so it’s not like it’s out of reach, or I won’t have another opportunity at it. So, I’m definitely excited about it. I was happy to be a part of the team with a great group of guys. Coach (Steve) Kerr, Coach Pop (Gregg Popovich), everybody was awesome. And just to still have that relationship with them today is cool.”
On his level of confidence that the Wizards can become a contender:
“We’re making steps to compete, and we’re doing it on a nightly basis. (Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard) is making moves to improve the team. So, all I can do is sit back, trust him, trust his process, work with what we are working with. It’s not easy. The grass isn’t always greener. I understand that when you give up, hell, if I go somewhere (else), you’re giving up a lot. So, that factors into a lot of stuff, too. So obviously you try to put yourself in the best situation possible for yourself and your family. We’re trying to build on it. We’re trying to do that here.”
On conversations with other one-team players such as Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard:
“We all think the same. It’s just our commitment to want to win where we’re at, and there’s nothing wrong with that at all. We’re just trusting the organizations that drafted us. They put that trust in us. They continue to invest in us, and we’re just trying to pay that back. We’re trying to give them our all that we possibly can, and I love it, man. I don’t think there’s nothing wrong with it. I take pride in that.”
Beal will be 30 in June. He will never see and East Finals gm as a Wizard. Let alone an NBA Finals gm. Unless he gets traded …..
That simple …….
KP is overrated and overpriced. It’s time for Beal to move on. Time for Washington to go full rebuild. Move KP and Beal ……..
A Knicks fan calling Porzingis overrated? Sour grapes, Albert.
Beal signed a contract. Washington will decide if he moves on. And as for KP, I’d say he’s having a decent year. 23PPG, ~10RPG, 1BLK/STL PG is not too bad for a guy who is finally getting back to speed from previous injuries. Wouldn’t say he’s overrated. Most team would take those numbers from their PF/C.
Where is Beal going, and for what? (No trade clause in his contact of course.) And KP can opt out and leave on his own, leaving the Wiz with nothing. Same for Kuz—and why would he stay with Beal and KP gone?
You want a terrible, terrible team for a long time it can be arranged. That will make you happy? I’d prefer to see what happens, for now at least.
Beal needs to play more. Gotta put in the time
My fantasy basketball team would certainly appreciate it!
He missed his window to join a contender. His contract is an albatross now and he’s not a winning player.
Ant is right. In a 2 years he will fade like John Wall. I think they can get in the playoffs this year. Trading KCP was not a good move. Beal’s future looks dim. Only 1 of thirty teams can win.
And so it begins….
His line about “sometimes you have to be a little selfish” is rich!
That’s all he’s done. He might not like losing but those paychecks more than make up for it. You can’t blame him but at the same time, you have to laugh when he says stuff like this.
Gotta agree. The guy stayed in Washington for the money. He can’t be that dumb, he had to know that Washington was nowhere near being a contender, but decided to stay bc of how much they offered. Now he’s complaining about being on a bad team. He missed his chance. There’s no way anyone will trade for that contract, especially considering his age and declining production (including how many games he’s been able to play).
I always laugh at these superstars who sign rich contracts from bad teams then complain about the team after…
Mavericks. Kyrie basically cost them a 2029 pick who cares about that pick it’s so far away let him walk. They have cap space easily worth that pick.
Sign Vucevic, sign deangelo Russell, empty the clip for Bradley Beal.
Send out Hardaway and whatever other matching salaries needed.
Or resign Kyrie flip him for AD and again empty the clip for Beal maybe somehow porzingas to LA as well
I don’t think you understand the cap
I think I do.
Him and Tatum will be on the Lakers in a couple years
I have never thought of Beal as “loyal”? I feel like he just hasn’t had a better opportunity or Wizards weren’t willing to move him.
They need a elite SF and they are a deep playoff team
Monday – beals stupid for playing on a losing team
Tuesday – super teams are ruining the league
Now that he got the absurd max contract….
This the dude that chose elective surgery over accepting a trade to the Sixers for BS last year? He wanted the money. He didn’t want to compete.