Bradley Beal Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wizards Expected To Offer Max Deal To Bradley Beal

May 27th, 2016 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

Barring a drastic development, the Wizards are expected to offer shooting guard Bradley Beal a five-year, maximum-salary extension when the new league year opens in July, people with knowledge of the situation tell Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. The cap for next season will have to be set before the exact value of such an offer will be known, but it would likely start in the neighborhood of $22MM.

Last week, Beal told Castillo in a phone interview that he believes he’s a maximum-salary player, and that he’ll shop around for an offer sheet from a team willing to pay that price if the Wizards don’t put a max offer on the table: “I feel like I’m a max player and that’s what I’m looking for. If Washington can’t meet that requirement then I may be thinking elsewhere. I’m pretty sure that they probably won’t [let me go].”

As Beal suggested, the Wizards do seem unwilling to let him go. Castillo’s latest report comes on the heels of a story from J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com, who was told that Washington remains “determined” to keep its core group of players intact. Keeping that core together will require making a significant offer this summer to a player who has been plagued by injuries in recent years.

Beal, who turns 23 next month, 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, as Castillo points out, Beal will be one of the more appealing free agents on the market this year, and with so many teams armed with cap space, a max deal will almost certainly be necessary to keep him in D.C. According to Castillo, the plan for Washington is to reach an agreement with Beal immediately, but to wait to formally sign him to that new deal — because Beal’s cap hold is smaller than his starting salary would be on a new contract, keeping that cap hold on the books for as long as possible would allow the Wizards to maximize their cap space, perhaps even adding another max player to their roster.

With several weeks still to go before free agency begins, it’s possible things could change before then, and a sign-and-trade deal involving Beal is conceivable, Castillo writes. However, a source tells the Post scribe that the Wizards aren’t entertaining that option. The team thinks highly of the young guard’s character, and believes he’s on the brink of breaking out.

Southeast Notes: Magic, Wizards, Beal, Hawks

May 26th, 2016 at 1:29pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic‘s in-season moves in 2015/16 signaled that the team was prepared to be ambitious in free agency this summer, and new head coach Frank Vogel didn’t shy away from that topic in his introductory news conference, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. “We’ve got cap flexibility to add a key veteran or two or three,” Vogel said.

In the view of Magic CEO Alex Martins, Orlando’s rebuilding process has been leading up to this phase, which will revolve around adding veterans to the club’s young core. “We always believed that this summer and next summer were going to be the two summers of free agency for us that we needed to focus on after developing our young guys,” Martins said. Still, as Robbins details, the Magic won’t be the only NBA team armed with plenty of cap space this summer, and it remains to be seen whether Orlando will be able to attract the sort of veteran free agents it wants to add.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

The Wizards “remain determined to keep their core intact,” multiple sources tell J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com. That means the team will likely pony up to retain Bradley Beal this summer, even if it means making him a max player or something close to it.
Ben Standig of CSNMidAtlantic.com believes the Wizards should take a long look at free-agent-to-be Nicolas Batum this offseason, breaking down the forward’s pros and cons and making the case for why he could be a fit in Washington.
Former Maryland center Diamond Stone has a workout scheduled today with the Hawks, a league source tells Chris Haynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link). Stone is one of many NCAA underclassmen who didn’t withdraw from draft consideration before Wednesday’s deadline.

Eastern Notes: Beal, Knicks, Antetokounmpo

May 23rd, 2016 at 4:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Shooting guard Bradley Beal believes he’s worthy of a max deal as he heads into restricted free agency this summer, Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post reports. Beal will sign an offer sheet from a suitor willing to pay that price if the Wizards don’t make a max offer when free agency begins in July, he told Castillo in a phone interview. “I feel like I’m a max player and that’s what I’m looking for,” he said. “If Washington can’t meet that requirement then I may be thinking elsewhere. I’m pretty sure that they probably won’t [let me go].” Beal declined a contract extension prior to the beginning of this past season and doesn’t believe his injury history will affect his bargaining power, Castillo adds. “The injury thing, that’s behind me,” Beal said. “I’m moving forward. I’m past it.”

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Jerry Sichting, Jeff Hornacek’s offensive assistant with the Suns, could land an assistant coaching job with the Knicks under Hornacek, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Sichting was let go against Hornacek’s wishes last season while Corey Gaines, another former Hornacek assistant who was not retained by the Suns after the season, is also a candidate to join Hornacek’s staff, Berman continues. Hornacek is not expected to retain ex-coach Derek Fisher’s hires of former Thunder assistants Brian Keefe, Joshua Longstaff and David Bliss.
Power forward Anthony Tolliver, center Joel Anthony and point guards Steve Blake and Lorenzo Brown are unlikely to return next season, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com in his roster review. It’s 50-50 whether the team will bring back oft-injured shooting guard Jodie Meeks and third-string point guard Spencer Dinwiddie, Langlois continues. Meeks could be tossed into a trade, while the club has a mid-July deadline to decide whether to guarantee Dinwiddie’s contract for next season, Langlois adds.
Power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to play for the Greek National Team in the Olympic Qualifier at Turin, Italy, Sportando reports via Eurohoops. “I want to play for the national team. The Bucks know it,” he said to Eurohoops. “We have not talked yet for this matter. Even if they are negative, I would try to convince them to let me play.”

Southeast Notes: Beal, Lin, Whiteside, Patterson

April 18th, 2016 at 5:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

Bradley Beal is a virtual lock to elicit a max offer this summer, and “the consensus” is the Wizards will keep him, writes Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. Beal was somewhat vague when asked whether he plans on agreeing to an offer from the Wizards as soon as possible upon becoming a free agent in July or gauging bids from other teams, as Castillo relays. Either way, the Wizards have the right to match any offer for the soon-to-be restricted free agent. “I want to be here. I don’t know,” Beal said in response to the question. “I don’t even know what I’m getting into right now. It’s like choosing colleges again. But I’m happy where I am. Hopefully, we can agree with each other this summer and we can get it done. But if not, it’s a business at the end of the day.”

See more from the Southeast Division:

Jeremy Lin, who said he almost signed with the Mavericks for the $2.814MM room exception this past summer, drew an offer from the Nets for the $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception but turned it down, with his camp of the belief that he could get $5MM a year, league sources tell NetsDaily (Twitter link). Lin instead signed with the Hornets for the $2.139MM biannual exception amount.
Hassan Whiteside says he and his representatives tried several times without success to convince the Hornets to give him a tryout before he signed with the Heat last season, as Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post relays. Whiteside, who hits free agency again this summer, is from Gastonia, North Carolina, just outside of Charlotte.
The Hawks have assigned Lamar Patterson to the D-League affiliate of the Spurs, Atlanta announced. The D-League Spurs are set to play tonight as they resume a postseason game that had been suspended Sunday when condensation formed on the court. Atlanta’s next playoff game is Tuesday. The Hawks are without their own affiliate but have sent players, including Patterson, to the Austin Spurs on many occasions.

Southeast Notes: Lin, Beal, Horford, Patterson

April 17th, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Hornets point guard Jeremy Lin says Hawks assistant Kenny Atkinson helped lay the groundwork for “Lin-sanity,” relays Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Atkinson, who will become the Nets’ new head coach once Atlanta’s playoff run is complete, aided in Lin’s development when both were with the Knicks. “I’ll text after a game at midnight, one o’clock when I go home,” Lin recalls, “and I’ll say, ‘Hey, can I look at those turnovers? Can I look at the upcoming team? How they run pick-and-rolls?’ And he’ll have the film ready when I walk into the facility the next morning. When I wasn’t playing much, we were working out before practice, and after practice, he was picking apart my game, teaching me what it’s like to play in Coach [Mike] D’Antoni’s system.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Restricted free agent Bradley Beal said he and backcourt partner John Wall both have to play better for the Wizards to be successful, according to J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic. The fourth-year shooting guard was limited to a career-low 55 games this season and was placed on a minutes restriction after doctors found “the beginnings of a stress reaction in his lower right fibula” in December. “It’s been a rocky year in terms of injuries, offense changing, getting used to playing with new guys on the team and adjusting to a few things,” Beal said. “We both should’ve had a better year than we had. We should’ve carried the team a little better than what we did. We both can attest to it.”
The Hawks‘ Al Horford stands to more than double his salary in free agency and may change the perception of who deserves a max contract, writes Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders. Horford is making $12MM this season, but when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer after completing his ninth NBA season, he will be eligible for a contract starting at approximately 30% of the salary cap, or about $26MM. Hamilton says that may seem expensive for a player who has never averaged 20 points per game, but Horford will likely define the market for fellow free agents Pau Gasol, Dwyane Wade, Mike Conley and Harrison Barnes.
The Hawks sent Lamar Patterson back to the Austin Spurs of the D-League to finish their playoff series, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Journal Constitution. Atlanta recalled Patterson on Friday after Tim Hardaway Jr. suffered a groin injury.

Southeast Notes: Wright, Weber, McRoberts, Beal

April 3rd, 2016 at 6:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat are considering Dorell Wright for one of their open roster spots, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The 30-year-old Wright, who played his first six NBA seasons in Miami, recently became available after his team in China finished its season. Jackson says the Heat are also looking at point guard Briante Weber, who had a 10-day contract with the Grizzlies last month and is currently with Miami’s D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls. The Heat plan to fill both spots, Jackson notes, but they have to wait until they’re sure the moves won’t put them back above the tax threshold. They could make the first of the signings Thursday if they wait until April 13th, the final day of the regular season, to make the second.

There’s more news from the Southeast Division:

Josh McRoberts has been forced to battle for playing time in the second year of a free agent contract he signed with the Heat in 2014, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The 6’10” power forward/center is averaging just 14.3 minutes through 39 games in an injury-plagued season. McRoberts, who still has two years and more than $11.8MM left on his deal, would like to become part of Miami’s rotation in time for the playoffs. “Obviously, you want to play in every game,” McRoberts said. “I’m professional. I’m here to be ready when my number’s called.”
Bradley Beal stands behind the pointed comments he made about the Wizards‘ shortcomings following this week’s loss in Sacramento, according to Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. Beal, a restricted free agent this summer, said his team lacks the hunger to be successful and does too much complaining. Teammate Marcin Gortat objected on Twitter, but Beal isn’t backing down. “I do not regret what I said at all,” Beal said. “I meant what I said and I said what I meant. I’m not going back on it.”
The Hornets have recalled rookie point guard Aaron Harrison from the D-League. Harrison was with the Erie BayHawks after spending two previous stints with the Oklahoma City Blue. He has averaged 17.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 13 D-League games.

Southeast Notes: Beal, Batum, Dragic, Hawks

March 31st, 2016 at 9:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bradley Beal‘s harsh comments toward his teammates after Wednesday’s loss in Sacramento are a sign of underlying problems on the Wizards, contends J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic. Beal, who is headed toward restricted free agency this summer, said the team isn’t “hungry enough” and seemed to give up in the closing moments of the game. “We bark too much,” Beal said. “We say what we need to do. We scream at one another. We can even try to blame [coach Randy Wittman] if we want to, but at the end of the day we still the ones playing. … We just do dumb mental lapses that just mess up the game and end up hurting us in the long run.” Michael thinks Beal and John Wall need to get together as team leaders and work out whatever personal differences they have with each other before their relationship is too far gone.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Nicolas Batum figures to be the most sought after among a large group of Hornets free agents, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Contracts for Marvin Williams, Courtney Lee and Al Jefferson will also expire at the end of the season and Jeremy Lin has the choice to opt out, but Batum has risen above the crowd with his versatile play. “I’ve been around teams where people think about their contract and their personal situation. I can’t understand that,” Batum said. “With this team, we know if we do great as a team, if we all do our jobs, everything will work out.”
If the Heat were giving any thought to trading point guard Goran Dragic and pursuing Grizzlies free agent Mike Conley, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald says Dragic has changed their minds with his recent performance. “We love Goran,” said team president Pat Riley. “Now he’s playing like The Dragon. His game has opened up. I’m very happy that we have this point guard.”
The Hawks plan to keep Lamar Patterson and Edy Tavares with the Austin Spurs through the D-League team’s playoff run, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Both rookies have spent extensive time in the D-League this season. Tavares, a 7’3″ center, has played in 27 games for the affiliates of the Spurs, Suns and Cavs, while Patterson has been in 17 games with San Antonio’s and Cleveland’s D-League teams.

Southeast Notes: Wade, Bosh, Williams, Magic

March 6th, 2016 at 6:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

Dwyane Wade will be a free agent for the second straight year, but there’s virtually no chance he will leave Miami, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Wade is proud of spending his entire 13-year NBA career in one city and persevering through the ups and downs. “It’s not that common in today’s game, but, yeah, you feel very prideful,” Wade said. “It hasn’t all been great, but you continue to stick with it, you continue to fight with it. I’ve been here, good or bad, the Miami Heat stays relevant.” Wade cashed in last summer, earning the highest salary of his career when he re-signed with the Heat for one year at $20MM. He stands to increase that figure this year with the expected jump in the salary cap.

There’s more news from the Southeast Division:

Chris Bosh has been working out with Heat staff members rather than his teammates, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. “Not necessarily with the team. But, yeah, he’ll work out with the staff,” said coach Erik Spoelstra. “He’s staying engaged and he’s in great spirits. And that never surprised me with C.B.” Miami is trying to assess Bosh’s chances of returning to action this season after reportedly suffering a blood clot in his calf. The team hasn’t confirmed his condition and is simply putting him on the inactive list without explanation.
The Hornets‘ Marvin Williams is posting some career-high numbers in his 11th season, notes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Williams is having his best season in rebounding and 3-point shooting, and at 10.9 points per game, he has his highest scoring average in seven years. Those figures should be attractive on the open market this summer, as Williams is wrapping up the final season of a two-year, $14MM contract. “One thing my father always taught me is hard work pays off,” Willliams said. “I worked extremely hard this summer and I feel like I’m benefitting from that. It’s helping me and it’s helping our team.”
The Magic could strengthen their presentation to this summer’s free agents with a berth in the playoffs, writes Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando is expected to be aggressive in the free agent market, and Schmitz lists Al Horford, Mike Conley, DeMar DeRozan, Bradley Beal, Nicolas Batum, Chandler Parsons, Ryan Anderson and Harrison Barnes as possible targets.

Southeast Notes: Beal, Wittman, Bazemore, Zeller

March 5th, 2016 at 2:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bradley Beal seems certain to return to the Wizards next season, but coach Randy Wittman’s future is in doubt, J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic said on an interview this morning with SiriusXM NBA Radio (h/t Kurt Helin of NBC Sports.com.) Michael said Washington plans to match any offers for Beal, who will be a restricted free agent after failing to reach an extension agreement with the team in November (Twitter link). However, Wittman’s job is in jeopardy unless the 30-31 Wizards make a significant improvement by the end of the season (Twitter link). Michael says Wittman was forced to change his system to the floor-spacing approach that Washington currently uses. (Twitter link). He has a 167-189 record in nearly five full seasons as the team’s head coach.

There’s more news from the Southeast Division:

Soon-to-be free agent Al Horford established a winning tradition in Atlanta, writes Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Hawks made the playoffs in eight straight seasons after drafting Horford third overall in 2007, and they can stretch that streak to nine with a decent finish. Horford has stayed silent on the topic of free agency, trying to keep it from being a distraction, but Vivlamore notes that Atlanta is in position to make the best offer: five years at about $146MM.
Horford will be the Hawks‘ free agent priority this summer, but they would like to keep Kent Bazemore as well, according to Danny Leroux of The Sporting News. Both will be unrestricted, and Atlanta would like to avoid losing talented wing players two years in a row. DeMarre Carroll left the Hawks last summer to sign with Toronto. Atlanta has Early Bird rights on Bazemore, meaning it can only exceed the salary cap to keep him if his contract starts at less than about $6MM annually. Any additional salary for next season would have to come out of cap room.
The Hornets may have benefited from a mid-season knee injury to Al Jefferson, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Jefferson, who is headed toward free agency this summer, has missed a significant part of this season with calf and knee problems, but his absence showed that Cody Zeller could handle the rigors of being a starting center.

Southeast Notes: Beal, Jennings, Johnson

March 4th, 2016 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal says he has no issues coming off the bench for the team and understands it is a way for coach Randy Wittman to manage his minutes and not a demotion, Spencer Davies of AmicoHoops.net relays. “I mean it’s not like it’s a punishment,” Beal said. “I think guys are taking it as the wrong way as [Wittman] benching me or something like that. It’s just his way of following my minute restriction. It’s the safest way, smartest way for me to be in down the stretch. I don’t look at it as anything other than that.” A minutes restriction was imposed on the pending restricted free agent after doctors discovered what was termed “the beginnings of a stress reaction in his lower right fibula” in December.

Here’s the latest from the Southeast Division:

The Heat never asked small forward Joe Johnson to wait until March 8th to sign with the team, as he told Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Waiting until that date, or March 6th at the earliest, would have allowed Miami not to have to rely on Beno Udrih agreeing to a buyout in order to add Johnson in a tax-free scenario, Jackson notes. Miami wanted Johnson available immediately, and Udrih’s agreement to relinquish $90K of his $2,170,465 salary allowed Johnson to be available for five additional contests, the Herald scribe notes.
Brandon Jennings has struggled to find his game since the Magic acquired him, and coach Scott Skiles concedes it will take time, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes. “I think he’s still adjusting a little bit to the guys,” Skiles said. “It’s difficult to be traded midseason, anyway. But it’s more difficult if you’re a point guard, I think — [that’s] just my personal opinion — because you’re asked to come in and run a team that you don’t even know. You’re not even familiar with the players that much. We’ll keep putting him out there and try to get him minutes and try to get him to feel a little bit more comfortable.“
The Hawks have recalled center Edy Tavares from the Suns D-League affiliate, where he had been sent as part of the flexible assignment rule, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution relays. Swingman Lamar Patterson remains on assignment to the Canton Charge, the Cavs affiliate, Vivlamore notes.