Bradley Beal Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Beal Likely To Have Minutes Cap For Rest Of Career

January 13th, 2016 at 12:35pm CST by Chuck Myron

Bradley Beal acknowledged to reporters today that he’ll “probably” have to deal with a minutes limit for the rest of his career as he continues to have trouble with injuries, according to TNT’s David Aldridge and J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com (Twitter links). Concern about his health reportedly played a role in Washington’s part of a mutual decision not to extend his rookie scale contract this past fall, though Sean Deveney of The Sporting News reported then that the Wizards were planning to offer Beal a new maximum-salary contract when he hits restricted free agency in July.

The minutes limit will keep Beal to no more than 35 minutes per night going forward, Michael hears (Twitter link), a fairly generous cap that nonetheless represents fewer minutes than he’s averaged this season and in both of Washington’s postseason appearances the past two years. Beal hasn’t played in a game since December 9th because of what the team called “the beginnings of a stress reaction in his lower right fibula,” though it’s likely that he returns to action tonight against the Bucks, Michael tweets. Beal told reporters that he could play tonight as long as he doesn’t have any setbacks during a pregame workout, Aldridge tweets.

Beal is only 22 years old, so any notion of an injury that affects the balance of his career is disconcerting. The fourth-year pro missed 26 games his rookie season, nine the next year and 19 last year with various ailments, though it was a high right ankle sprain Beal played through as a rookie that led to the stress reaction he’s dealing with now, as Michael explains in a full story.

Wizards Notes: Beal, Gooden, Pierce

December 29th, 2015 at 5:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bradley Beal could begin non-basketball activities this week, according to J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com. The Wizards shooting guard has missed nine consecutive games with a lower right leg injury. Beal will be on a minutes restriction when he returns, the report adds, but coach Randy Wittman has no plans to use Beal off the bench to save him for late-game situations. “No, because we’re going to have to control his minutes some when he first comes back like we have every year,” Wittman said. “We never had to deal with the problem again after getting a couple weeks of limited minutes.”

In other news regarding the Wizards:

Nene and Drew Gooden could be close to returning from calf injuries, J. Michael reports in a separate story. Wittman isn’t sure if either will be back this week. “It could go anywhere from three or four days to two weeks,” Wittman told the team’s beat reporters. “When you’re dealing with a calf, until you fully don’t feel anything twinging down there [you don’t know]. They’re closer.”
Paul Pierce carries only fond memories of his season with the Wizards, Rowan Kavner of Clippers.com writes. Pierce averaged 11.9 points and 4.9 rebounds last season, then boosted his scoring average to 14.6 points in the postseason before signing with the Clippers. “I had a lot of fun, truthfully, just being around the young guys, teaching them every day, talking to them,” Pierce told Kavner. “Even though it was one year, I had a lot of fun being around these guys. They welcomed me with open arms. I embraced the city, they embraced me back, and I really enjoyed my time.”
The Wizards miss Pierce’s brutal candor and moxie but both sides needed to move on, J. Michael opines in a column following their loss to the Clippers on Monday. Pierce’s departure allowed small forward Otto Porter to take a starting role and rookie forward Kelly Oubre to gain a spot in the rotation, J. Michael continues. It also allowed Washington to play at a higher pace but there’s no denying that Pierce had a significant impact on his younger teammates, J. Michael adds.

Southeast Notes: Beal, Hawks Drafts, Batum

December 12th, 2015 at 9:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bradley Beal‘s repeated leg problems are part of the reason the Wizards have been reluctant to commit to an extension, writes J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com. The Wizards confirmed today that Beal has “the beginnings of a stress reaction in his lower right fibula.” He will miss at least seven games as he will be kept out of action for two weeks before being re-evaluated. Michael notes that the injury is in the same vicinity as his last stress reaction in February and is part of Beal’s “long and complex” injury history since being drafted in 2012. Michael also speculates that the latest injury could hold down Beal’s value when he becomes a restricted free agent next summer, possibly allowing Washington to sign him at a lower price.

There’s more tonight from the Southeast Division:

Despite the injury, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post doesn’t believe Beal’s market value will be reduced. He writes that Beal is still likely to get a max offer from someone, especially with the coming rise in the salary cap linked to television revenue. Beal is trying to stay positive despite the latest setback. “I can’t worry about it,” he said. “If I do, it ruins me as a player. It ruins my confidence. It kind of makes an excuse for me, and I don’t want to live with myself in that category.”
The Hawks‘ recent run of success is being threatened by their draft decisions, according to Jonathan Tjarks of Real GM. Atlanta posted the best record in the East last season, but Tjarks worries that the franchise is being hurt by poor use of its draft picks. The Hawks emerged from the draft with Lucas Nogueira in 2013 and Adreian Payne in 2014, then traded this year’s pick to the Knicks for Tim Hardaway Jr. Atlanta ultimately traded Nogueira to Toronto and Payne to Minnesota, and Hardaway has spent time in the D-League this season.
The Hornets‘ Nicolas Batum has already proven himself worthy of a max contract next summer, writes Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer. Batum, whom Charlotte acquired from the Blazers in a June trade, has helped the Hornets get off to a 14-9 start, third best in the Eastern Conference. Fowler says Batum has stepped into the point forward role and has accepted much of the playmaking responsibility. The columnist estimates it will take nearly $20MM per season to keep Batum in Charlotte, but contends it will be worth it.

Eastern Notes: Nets, Beal, Durant, Young

November 9th, 2015 at 3:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

Nets GM Billy King has made exploratory trade calls in response to the team’s 0-7 start, as he told reporters today, including Newsday’s Roderick Boone (Twitter link). It would be tough for Brooklyn to engineer a deal before December 15th, the date most of the players signed this past offseason become eligible to be traded, but the GM isn’t hiding from the blame even as he conceded a quick fix is unlikely, Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com relays (ESPN Now link).

“I’m not sitting in here shirking accountability,” King said. “… It stops at me. I’m the GM. You make decisions along the way, and it’s my job now to figure it out and turn it around. … It doesn’t happen overnight. We knew when we traded [the first-round] picks and went down this road that if it doesn’t go well you have to dig yourself out of it, and that’s what we’re doing now.”

See more from the Eastern Conference:

Kevin Durant called the less-than-subtle affection that surrounded him during the Thunder’s game at the Wizards last season “disrespectful,” and Bradley Beal concurs, notes J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com. “It is disrespectful because he plays for Oklahoma City,” Beal said. “He doesn’t play for Washington.” The Wizards have made no secret of their desire to attract Durant, a D.C. native, to Washington, and, for what it’s worth, Durant’s friend John Wall said he and the former MVP worked out together over the summer, notes Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post (on Twitter).
Beal echoed many of the sentiments of Joakim Noah in praising Billy Donovan, their former college coach who’s now the bench boss for the Thunder, as The Oklahoman’s Anthony Slater observes. “He’s always been like a second Dad to me,” Beal said of Donovan. “He’s a family first guy and granted me a lot of freedom. We talk a lot.” Noah and Beal are both poised for free agency in the summer, but the Wizards can match offers for Beal, who’s said he has no desire to leave Washington.
The Celtics have recalled James Young from the D-League, the team announced (Twitter link). Young’s assignment, already his second on the season, lasted just one day. Rookie Jordan Mickey, whom the team sent to Maine with Young, remains with the D-League club.

And-Ones: Beal, Durant, Morris, Giles

November 6th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Bradley Beal understands the advantage of the cap flexibility the Wizards retained when they didn’t sign him to an extension before Monday’s deadline, and he has no desire to play for any other team after his restricted free agency next summer, as he tells Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports. Beal thinks of himself as a max player but told Lee that he’ll accept whatever he deserves regardless of whether it’s the max. The Wizards reportedly intend to give him the max next summer.

“This is where I want to be. I’m not looking at any other teams. I’m not looking to go anywhere else. I believe in this team we have in this locker room. I’m a big cornerstone of this team, so I’m here. I want to be here. Hopefully, the front office knows that. I’m pretty sure that they know that,” Beal said.

See more on the Wizards amid the latest from around the NBA:

The Wizards remain a legitimate threat to sign Kevin Durant in 2016, league sources tell Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. One executive from another team who spoke with Berger insists the maneuver the Wizards are executing with Beal to help facilitate that, similar to what the Pistons are doing with Andre Drummond, is against the rules.
Marcus Morris made comments indicating that he’s ready to move past his feelings toward the trade that separated him from his brother, but as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press shows, he still has negative memories of his time with the Suns. “I felt disrespected the entire time I was in Phoenix,” Morris said. “I was playing well, but I still feel like I didn’t have a real opportunity to grow. Anytime a team trades you away like that, it’s a slap in the face. I still feel disrespected, and I feel like I want to disrespect them.”
Top 2017 draft prospect Harry Giles suffered a “slight small tear” in his right ACL, a source told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, but it’s enough to knock him out for his senior year of high school this season, his father confirmed to Paul Biancardi of ESPN.com. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress moved the 6’10” power forward down from No. 1 to No. 2 in his 2017 mock draft, replacing him at the top with 6’8″ small forward Jayson Tatum, but Givony explained to Zagoria for a separate story that Giles has plenty of time to recover and regain the top spot.

Southeast Notes: Green, Beal, Skiles

November 5th, 2015 at 8:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Gerald Green is “safe and healthy,” according to Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who offered little else about the swingman who was hospitalized early Wednesday with an undisclosed illness, as Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald details. Sources told fellow Herald scribe Barry Jackson that the local rescue department in Miami requested assistance from police because of a “combative patient” at the address where Green lives, but the police didn’t write a report or make any arrests. A recording of a 911 call indicated that Green was unconscious and bleeding during the incident, Navarro relays. Green missed Tuesday’s game and isn’t with the team for Thursday’s game in Minnesota against the Timberwolves.

“I talked to him today and he said he was doing better,” Dwyane Wade said, according to Navarro. “That’s all I can ask for.” Wade added that he and other Heat players still don’t know exactly what’s going on with Green but that they’re glad Mario Chalmers was with him when the incident took place, Navarro notes.

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

It appears to be a good thing that the Wizards reportedly intend to re-sign Bradley Beal for the maximum next summer, seeing as the shooting guard certainly considers himself worthy of that sum, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post relays (on Twitter). When asked if he thinks he’s a max player, Beal responded, “Yeah. I do,” Castillo notes. The Wizards reportedly intend on utilizing their available cap space next summer prior to finalizing a new contract with Beal.
New Magic coach Scott Skiles has gotten the most out of his young team so far this season, and despite the team’s 1-4 start, the early returns have been positive, writes Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel. Swingman Evan Fournier‘s strong play has also been encouraging, but the downside is that it may be more difficult to re-sign him next summer when he is eligible to become a restricted free agent, Schmitz notes.
Hawks shooting guard Justin Holiday has made the most of his extra playing time as Thabo Sefolosha continues to work his way back from injury, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. “He’s gotten a couple of opportunities and has taken advantage of those opportunities,” coach Mike Budenholzer said of Holiday. “We went with him tonight without Kyle Korver suiting up. He got more minutes and more opportunities. I think it’s his defense, his activity and his length. He’s making some shots and making some plays. We’ve got a good group there with wings all fighting for opportunity.” Holiday inked a two-year, $1.963MM deal with Atlanta this past offseason.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Southeast Notes: Beal, Nicholson, Lamb

November 3rd, 2015 at 8:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal is relieved that the extension deadline has passed, because now the focus can shift back to on-court matters, J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic writes. “It’s a weight lifted off my shoulders,” said Beal. “It’s business at the end of the day. We couldn’t reach an agreement. It’s not going to stop me from being the player I am. It’s not going to stop me from continuing to work hard. Or it doesn’t mean I’m not going to be part of the organization. I’m just controlling what I can control and let [GM] Ernie [Grunfeld] and my agent deal with it.” It was reportedly a mutual decision between Beal and the team to table contract discussions until next offseason.

Beal expects to remain with the Wizards for the long haul, Michael notes. “Either way it goes they can match any offer. Hopefully I’ll be here. That’s my goal,” Beal said. “I love being in D.C. I’m a cornerstone of this thing. I want to be part of this for a long time. It’s unfortunate we couldn’t get a deal done but [there’s] no hard feelings. There’s no beef between Ernie and I or the organization. We’re still good.”

Here’s more out of the Southeast:

The Magic had talks with Andrew Nicholson, just as they did with fellow rookie scale extension candidate Evan Fournier, but they never moved toward a deal before Monday’s deadline for rookie scale extensions passed, sources close to both told Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.
Jeremy Lamb‘s three-year contract extension with the Hornets will see him earn $6.5MM during the 2016/17 campaign, $7MM in 2017/18, and $7.5MM for the final year of the agreement, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com relays (via Twitter).
Hornets GM Rich Cho said the team’s decision not to pick up P.J. Hairston’s option for next season was related to the player’s lack of consistency and focus, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. “I spoke with P.J. and his agent [Jonathan Stahler]. We just feel like P.J. has got to get more consistent and focused on and off the court,” Cho said. “He knows what he has to do. P.J. has still got a bright future if he continues to work hard.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Wizards, Bradley Beal Decide Against Extension

November 2nd, 2015 at 11:57am CST by Chuck Myron

11:57am: Beal’s camp and the Wizards mutually called a halt to extension talk this morning, Bartelstein tells J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com. “We decided it was best to wait when it makes better sense for both sides,” Bartelstein said. Beal can sign a five-year deal as a free agent, but because Wall is Washington’s Designated Player, an extension for Beal could have been for no more than four years.

10:16pm: The Wizards will not sign Bradley Beal to an extension before tonight’s 11pm Central deadline, sources tell TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link). The prospect had seemed unlikely anyway, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com wrote late Sunday, with the Wizards preferring to put off a deal until the former No. 3 overall pick enters restricted free agency next summer, as Sean Deveney of The Sporting News reported Friday.

Washington fully intends to re-sign Beal for the maximum next summer, according to Deveney. The Mark Bartelstein client will be able to negotiate with other teams, but the Wizards can match offers. Beal could take the drastic step of signing his qualifying offer, worth about $7.471MM, but that would be a drastic discount from his projected maximum salary of $20.4MM. The sharpshooting 22-year-old said recently that he was confident about working out a deal with the Wizards before the extension deadline but would be OK with either outcome.

The Wizards are pursuing the same course that the Spurs took with Kawhi Leonard that allowed them to sign LaMarcus Aldridge this summer. The Pistons and Andre Drummond are also going that route. Those teams decided against extensions for their up-and-coming stars to preserve cap flexibility. Beal’s cap hold for next summer is $14.2MM, and that number is on the books until the sides agree to terms. Locking in the maximum salary, a difference of more than $6MM from Beal’s cap hold, would render Washington with little or no maneuverability to supplement a 2016/17 roster that would feature Beal, John Wall and a maximum salary free agent addition such as Kevin Durant, as I explained. As long as Beal is unsigned, the Wizards could sign other free agents next summer and simply use Bird rights to re-sign him or match an offer sheet.

Beal has started the season strongly. He’s averaging 25.3 points in 35.0 minutes per game and has canned 10 of 20 three-point attempts in three regular season games so far, though the same size is small, of course. He’s nonetheless ahead of Wall and leading the team in scoring and shot attempts.

Extension Rumors: Sunday

November 1st, 2015 at 11:13pm CST by Will Joseph

It seems unlikely that Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal and Warriors center Festus Ezeli will receive rookie-scale contract extensions and thus will be restricted free agents come July, barring an unexpected late turnaround in negotiations, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports.

The news regarding Beal does not come as a surprise because though the Wizards fully intend to sign him to a maximum-salary contract, they prefer to do so next summer. Stein adds that the Wizards have been consistent with their message that they see Beal as a future and long-term star for the franchise. Reports have conflicted about how much negotiating has occurred between Ezeli and the Warriors, but an extension never seemed imminent.

The window for former first-round picks to sign contract extensions during the fourth and final year of their rookie contracts is Monday.

Here is more news on extensions:

Players known to still be in negotiations entering the deadline include Raptors shooting guard/small forward Terrence Ross, Trail Blazers center Meyers Leonard and Thunder shooting guard Dion Waiters, according to Stein. Regarding Ross, it’s likely to go down to the wire and the Raptors would be open to giving him an extension, if the price is to their liking, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. reports. “I mean it would be an honor to get an extension,” Ross told Lewenberg. “If that doesn’t happen then we’ll take it from there.”
Extensions at this point are looking unlikely for Sixers shooting guard Tony Wroten and Celtics big men Tyler Zeller and Jared Sullinger, according to Stein.

Latest On Wizards, Bradley Beal Extension Talks

October 30th, 2015 at 1:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Wizards fully intend to sign Bradley Beal to a maximum-salary contract, but they prefer to do so next summer instead of before Monday’s deadline for an extension, a source told Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. The team reportedly offered an extension worth less than the max, and earlier it appeared Washington wanted some non-guaranteed salary involved in any max deal. Beal recently expressed confidence that the sides would work something out before the extension deadline but said he would be fine with either outcome.

The latest news makes sense, given the financial motivation the Wizards have to hold off. Beal’s cap hold for next summer is $14.2MM, and that number sticks on the books until the sides agree to terms. Beal’s projected maximum salary is $20.4MM, and signing him to that figure for next season would give the team almost no flexibility to sufficiently build a roster around Beal, John Wall and a maximum salary free agent addition such as Kevin Durant, as I explained. Keeping Beal unsigned would allow the Wizards to sign other free agents first before circling back to Beal and signing him for the max using Bird rights. It’s a strategy the Spurs used with Kawhi Leonard that freed them to sign LaMarcus Aldridge and others this summer, and the Pistons are going the same route with Andre Drummond for next year.

Beal and agent Mark Bartelstein don’t have to play along, but while they could pursue an offer sheet that would take Beal to unrestricted free agency as soon as 2018, Washington would almost certainly match. He could unilaterally reach unrestricted free agency in 2017 if he signs his qualifying offer, but the qualifying offer is worth only about $7.471MM.

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reported in May that the Wizards were ready to do a max deal with the former No. 3 overall pick, and that, coupled with a report from J. Michael of CSNWashington.com last year that the Wizards were already planning to do an extension with Beal, seemed to signal that he’d sign this summer. It appears Washington’s plan has changed since then, as Michael noted in August.

Do you think Beal is worth the max? Leave a comment to let us know.