Bradley Beal Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: Spoelstra, Bosh, Beal, Batum

October 1st, 2016 at 8:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Coach Erik Spoelstra continues to support Chris Bosh despite his ongoing feud with the organization, writes Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald. After failing his training camp physical over a blood clot issue and hearing from team president Pat Riley that his days with the Heat were likely over, Bosh responded with a video Friday in which he claims that he can still play and accuses Riley of not reaching out to him before announcing the news to reporters. The Heat denied Bosh’s charges, saying that Riley had called, texted and emailed Bosh and his agent in an attempt to set up a meeting. Regardless of the dispute and the pessimistic view of Bosh’s future in Miami, Spoelstra refused to criticize his former star. “I love Chris Bosh, his family. I said this so many times, Chris was very important to me as a head coach,” Spoelstra said. “With those teams, he was somebody I really leaned on. That extended outside the lines. It’s something I really have enjoyed and my hope is that relationship can continue.” Those comments were echoed by many of Bosh’s teammates, including Udonis Haslem, who said, “It’s not easy just to walk away.”

There’s more tonight from the Southeast Division:

The Wizards‘ Bradley Beal returned to practice today after clearing the concussion protocol, writes J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic. Beal had been sidelined since Wednesday after taking an inadvertent elbow to the head from Ian Mahinmi. After enjoying what Michael called his best shooting day since camp began, Beal lashed out at critics who say he is hurt too often. “People make it seem like I’m trying to get hurt,” he said. “I’m not, ‘Hit me on the head this play.’ It just happens. It could be anybody in that position. That’s not going to stop me from being aggressive and continuing to play hard.”
With five free agents in the starting lineup last season, Nicolas Batum believes the Hornets were able to be successful because no one was focused on their contracts, relays Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Batum and Marvin Williams both got big money to stay in Charlotte, while Jeremy Lin, Al Jefferson and Courtney Lee all went elsewhere. “[Fans] talked a lot about contracts, because of [so many] free agents. But we forgot about that and played for the team and for the city,” Batum said. “Contracts work themselves out. We lost Jeremy and Big Al and C-Lee, but we’ve got [Michael Kidd-Gilchrist] back. We’re getting Marco [Belinelli] and Big Roy [Hibbert]. I think we got better.”

Wizards Notes: Beal, Wall, Burke, Satoransky

September 29th, 2016 at 5:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal will have to go through the NBA’s concussion protocol after taking an elbow to the head Wednesday, according to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Beal was held out of action today and won’t be cleared to play until he goes through the “return-to-participation protocol.” Coach Scott Brooks called the injury a mild concussion that happened when Ian Mahinmi accidentally hit Beal in the head. Still, it’s the second concussion in eight months for Beal and one more injury concern for a player the Wizards signed to a five-year, $128MM maximum contract over the summer. Beal has missed 25% of his games during his first four years in the NBA and was placed on a minutes restriction last season after doctors discovered “the beginnings of a stress reaction” in his lower right fibula.

There’s more from the Wizards’ camp:

Still recovering from offseason surgery on both knees, point guard John Wall is hoping more backcourt depth will lighten his workload, Buckner writes in a separate story. Washington swung a deal with Utah this summer for Trey Burke, who entered camp as Wall’s likely backup. Wall hopes his addition will mean more rest during a long season. “A lot of times in the past I was playing 40, 42 minutes and the whole second half … wearing my body down,” Wall said. “With a better second unit that we’ll probably have, we’re a more complete team, I probably won’t have to be out there as much. I think that will help with how I take care of my body and how we play as a team.”
Wall confirmed that he is ahead of his rehab schedule as he tries to be ready for the October 27th season opener, relays J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic. Wall has been participating in about 70% of practices, but has been sitting out five-on-five drills. “I’m leaving it all up to the doctors and the trainers,” Wall said. “As long as I can get through this week, and get through the more practices we have and through the preseason, we’ll have to sit back and wait and see. Hopefully I will be [ready for the opener]. That’s my ultimate goal, but I’m not trying to rush it.”
Tomas Satoransky has been the surprise of camp so far, Michael writes in a separate piece. The 6’7″ Czech rookie guard agreed to join the Wizards over the summer on a three-year, $9MM deal and has impressed teammates with his vertical leap and knowledge of the game. “I’d seen a couple highlights of him playing,” said Otto Porter, “but actually getting out here playing with him to actually be on his team? One time I was cutting through, he hit me on the back of the shoulder [with the ball]. I wasn’t looking for it. I was like, ‘OK, this kid knows how to play.’”

Southeast Notes: Wall, Beal, Hibbert, Magic

September 27th, 2016 at 10:21pm CST by Eddie Scarito

During the Wizards‘ media day on Monday, John Wall walked back his comments from August when he told reporters that he and teammate Bradley Beal “have a tendency to dislike each other on the court,” Candace Buckner of The Washington Post writes. “Whenever you have your two best players and they both want the game-winning shot and they want those types of plays, you’re going to have disagreements on the court. But other than that, we’re fine,” Wall told the media. “We talk. We’ve talked about it. We’re both two grown men. Everybody wants us to dislike each other. No, we don’t dislike each other. It’s just at times any team that has two great players [or] players who want to be great, we’re going to have disagreements from time to time.”

For his part, Beal said he never took offense at Wall’s comments, likening their relationship to that of brothers, Buckner notes. “Sometimes you don’t always get along with your bigger brother or your little brother but you love them at the end of the day. They’re family. That’s how John and I are,” Beal said. “We don’t always agree on the court. You’re not always going to agree with Coach [Scott] Brooks and something that he says but at the end of the day, we’re backcourt mates, we’re teammates, we’re the two leaders of the team. We’re going to help win us games.”

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Magic are hunting for a location for their new D-League affiliate to call home, with the two finalists being Kissimmee’s Silver Spurs Arena and The Lakeland Center, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel reports. The team expects to finalize its decision within the next month, Robbins adds. “We’re still in final discussions with both, and both have been asked to address some specific issues that we need answers for and direction on,” CEO Alex Martins said. “I believe that within the next 30 days we’ll have a decision made.”
Center Roy Hibbert is trying to salvage his career after signing a one-year, $5MM with the Hornets this offseason. Assistant coach Patrick Ewing has taken the big man under his wing, believing that much of Hibbert’s decline stems from him buying into the talk that the changes to the game have made him obsolete, Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer writes. “I think it’s probably mostly mental,” Ewing said of Hibbert. “I know everybody is talking about how the game has changed. I think he’s kind of bought into that.”
Hawks coach/executive Mike Budenholzer weighed in with his early impressions of rookies Malcolm Delaney, Taurean Prince and DeAndre Bembry, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution relays.

Eastern Notes: Mickey, Brown, Wall, Beal

August 31st, 2016 at 9:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jordan Mickey‘s spot on the Celtics‘ roster seems safe even in a crowded training camp, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE. With John Holland being waived today, Boston has 18 players on its roster, with 16 on fully guaranteed contracts. But the Celtics don’t seem likely to cut ties with Mickey after making a four-year commitment to him last offseason. After taking him in the second round of the 2015 draft, Boston gave Mickey a $5MM deal with a higher annual salary than first-round pick R.J. Hunter received. Mickey appeared in just 16 games for Boston as a rookie, spending most of the season with the team’s Maine affiliate in the D-League. He led the league in blocks with 4.4 per game and was a D-League All-Star. Blakely writes that the Celtics want to see more of Mickey at the NBA level before making a long-term decision.

There’s more tonight from the Eastern Conference:

Celtics power forward Jaylen Brown was voted the most athletic rookie by his fellow Class of 2016 members, relays CSNNE. Brown, the third player taken in the June draft, topped an NBA.com poll with 38.7% of the votes, followed by the Clippers’ Brice Johnson with 16.1% and the Suns’ Marquese Chriss with 9.7%.
It’s healthy for John Wall and Bradley Beal to be open about their disagreements, contends Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report. He believes the Wizards‘ backcourt tandem will improve their communication because they’re willing to speak publicly about the problem, which Bucher describes as both wanting to be the dominant personality on the team. Bucher doesn’t think there’s a need to trade either one because their skills are complementary.
The Knicks are gambling with their point guard position by bringing in two players with significant injury histories, writes Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders. New York traded for Derrick Rose, whose 66 games last season were by far the most since tearing his ACL in the 2012 playoffs, and signed Brandon Jennings, who suffered an Achilles tear in January of 2014. Beer lists several unsigned players the Knicks should consider as insurance: Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, Kirk Hinrich, Nate Robinson, Jordan Farmar, Andre Miller and Lance Stephenson.

Wall, Beal Issues Could Lead To Eventual Breakup

August 25th, 2016 at 6:11pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The disconnect between the Wizards backcourt duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal could eventually convince the front office to deal one of them, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.

Wall recently admitted in a TV interview with CSN’s Chris Miller that he and Beal don’t have great on-court chemistry, claiming they have “a tendency to dislike each other on the court.” Beal told CSNMidAtlantic.com’s J. Michael that he and Wall “lose sight of the fact that we need each other.”

O’Connor takes it a step further, quoting an unnamed agent who says the dislike extends beyond the basketball floor.

“Whatever is public, multiply it by five and that’s how they really feel about each other,” the agent told O’Connor. “It’s probably a total disaster.”

New Wizards head coach Scott Brooks will have the challenge of getting them to become a more cohesive pair but if that fails, the club may have no choice but to break them up, O’Connor opines. Beal just signed a $127MM contract but Wall’s contract, with three years and $54.2MM remaining, can easily be moved if the Wizards go in that direction, O’Connor adds.

Wall’s willingness to become more accountable and a respected leader will go a long way in determining how Washington handles the situation, Michael asserts in a different column. The backcourt pair, while not the best of friends, don’t hate each other, Michael continues. But assistant coach Sidney Lowe contends Wall must do more to win over everyone in the locker room.

“It’s your communication and get your players to feel good about you. And the way you do that is by you getting them to feel good about themselves,” Lowe told Michael. “There’s something to that. Obviously that’s an area where I can work with and talk to with John and help him out a little bit.”

Wall’s habit of publicly displaying his displeasure over contracts handed out to opposing players does not help his cause, O’Connor contends. Wall criticized the Pistons last summer for giving out a big contract to Reggie Jackson. Wall apparently had similar feelings about the extension James Harden received from the Rockets this summer, with a front-office executive telling O’Connor that Wall was “rankled” by that four-year, $118MM contract.

And-Ones: Beal, Oladipo, Gasol, Gobert

August 3rd, 2016 at 10:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Turnover among NBA coaches has been extremely high over the past few seasons, with only four current head coaches having been with their respective teams for at least five seasons. Just this calendar year alone there have been 12 new coaching hires made, with more likely to come if some teams get off to rocky starts to the 2016/17 season. Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders ran down the coaches who are under the most pressure to perform well this coming campaign, including Alvin Gentry (Pelicans), Steve Kerr (Warriors) and Quin Snyder (Jazz).

Here’s more from around the league:

Each season there are a number of players who exceed expectations or fail to live up to the hype or their previous season’s performance. Looking ahead to 2016/17, Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders weighed in on who he believes will have bounce back seasons (ie: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Bradley Beal, Joakim Noah) and those who will disappoint (ie: Kyle Korver, Pau Gasol).
With most offseason moves now officially in the books, Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com (Insider Subscription required) broke down the teams he believes to be winners. Franchises getting high marks from the scribe include the Warriors, Celtics, Cavs and Wolves.
Teams have until October 31st to work out extensions with eligible players and Kurt Helin of NBCSports.com notes that the most likely candidates to reach new agreements prior to the deadline are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Oladipo, Rudy Gobert, Dennis Schroder and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Wizards Sign Bradley Beal To Five-Year Deal

July 26th, 2016 at 2:15pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 26, 2:15pm: The Wizards have finally made it official with Beal after using up the rest of their cap room, announcing today that they’ve re-signed their standout guard.

“Bradley has proven himself as one of the top young shooting guards in the league, and we feel that he has the potential to rise to an elite level as he enters the prime of his career as one of the cornerstones of our team,” president Ernie Grunfeld said in a statement. “He is an outstanding member of the community and a great example of the type of player and person we want to represent our franchise.”

JULY 1, 9:46am: The two sides have agreed to a five-year, maximum salary contract, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter).

JUNE 30, 11:24pm: The Wizards are close to reaching the first major free agent agreement of 2016, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, who reports that Washington is nearing a five-year, maximum-salary deal for Bradley Beal (Twitter link).

While The Vertical pegs the value of the five-year contract at $128MM, the exact total won’t be known until the NBA announces the salary cap amount for 2016/17, which won’t happen until next week. Based on a $94MM salary cap, a five-year max deal for Beal would be worth about $126.5MM. Either way, it would be a huge payday for the former third overall pick.

Beal, who turned 23 on Tuesday, is a talented scorer when healthy, averaging a career-high 17.4 points per game on 44.9% shooting in 2015/16. However, he also established a new career low in games played this past season, appearing in just 55 contests. The former third overall pick has never played more than 73 games in a season, due to injuries.

Still, the Wizards’ max offer to Beal comes as no surprise, as a report earlier in the offseason indicated the team would put such an offer on the table when free agency began. Beal’s cap hold is only worth about $14MM, so Washington figures to hold off on finalizing his new contract — if the team finds other uses for its cap room, it can make those moves first, then go over the cap to lock up Beal.

Southeast Rumors: Wizards, Beal, Wade, Horford

June 29th, 2016 at 10:31am CST by Luke Adams

As we heard on Tuesday, the Wizards – having conceded that they’re not in the mix for Kevin Durant – have shifted their focus to Ryan Anderson, viewing him as a top free target. ESPN’s Marc Stein follows up on that report today by suggesting that Anderson isn’t the only name near the top of Washington’s wish list. According to Stein (via Twitter), the names that keep coming up as prime targets for the Wizards this offseason are Anderson, Al Horford, and Nicolas Batum.

Stein also adds (in a second tweet) that that the Wizards are expected to “quickly” enter negotiations with Bradley Beal on a new contract, after extending him a qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent. That echoes a May report, which indicated the Wizards won’t waste time in offering Beal a long-term, maximum-salary contract when the new league year opens.

Here’s more from around the Southeast division:

A Tuesday report suggested that Dwyane Wade is open to talking to teams besides the Heat in free agency, since discussions with Miami haven’t progressed so far. However, a source who spoke to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel downplayed concerns about those negotiations, confirming that the two sides have indeed had preliminary talks so far.
With Al Horford‘s free agency just days away, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution examines the situation, writing that the big man would prefer to stay in Atlanta and re-sign with the Hawks, if the two sides can work out an acceptable contract.
The Magic announced today in a press release that they’ve finalized Frank Vogel‘s coaching staff, with Chad Forcier, Corliss Williamson, and David Adelman coming aboard as assistants.
Now that Serge Ibaka is in the mix, the Magic‘s next roster moves will be designed with ensuring that Ibaka wants to re-sign in Orlando when he reaches free agency a year from now, writes Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel.

Qualifying Offers: Drummond, Beal, Powell

June 28th, 2016 at 9:42pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Players eligible for restricted free agency don’t become restricted free agents by default. In order to make a player a restricted free agent, a team must extend a qualifying offer to him. The qualifying offer, which is essentially just a one-year contract offer, varies in amount depending on a player’s service time and previous contract status. A qualifying offer is designed to give a player’s team the right of first refusal. Because the qualifying offer acts as the first formal contract offer a free agent receives, his team then receives the option to match any offer sheet the player signs with another club. You can read more about qualifying offers here.

Teams don’t always formally announce when they submit qualifying offers, which is the case with a number of players who have already been extended these offers by their respective clubs. The procedural moves listed below have been posted to the RealGM Transactions page, with more sure to follow in the next few days:

Bradley Beal [Wizards] — $7,471,412
Andre Drummond [Pistons] — $4,433,683
Boban Marjanovic [Spurs] — $1,500,000
Dwight Powell [Mavericks] — $1,180,431

Also receiving a qualifying offer is Magic center Dewayne Dedmon, with Orlando submitting the $1,215,696 required to make him a restricted free agent earlier today, per Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel.

Eastern Notes: Noah, Butler, Beal

June 25th, 2016 at 9:00am CST by ChrisCrouse

The Wizards have interest in adding Joakim Noah in free agency and it was reported on Friday that the team may be willing to offer Noah a maximum-salary contract. However, a league source tells J.Michael of Comcast Sportsnet (Twitter links) that the team will not be offering him the max, calling the rumor “absolutely ridiculous.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Bradley Beal will not participate in the Olympic games this summer, as he explains on his Twitter Feed. Beal only appeared in 55 games for the Wizards this past season due to an injury to his right fibula.
The Bulls received several proposals for Jimmy Butler on draft night including the Celtics‘ package of Jae Crowder, the No. 3 pick and the No. 16 pick for the All-Star, sources tell K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
The Raptors had Jakob Poeltl higher on their draft board than roughly half of the prospects whom were selected ahead of him, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets. Toronto selected Poeltl with the No.9 pick in Thursday’s draft, meaning the team presumably had the center within its top-5.