- C.J. Miles is eager to show he can still be an effective player for the Wizards once he returns from foot surgery, he told Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Miles split time with the Raptors and Grizzlies last season and was traded to Washington this summer in exchange for Dwight Howard. “Last year I just felt like I never really got in a groove after the work I put in to really help my team,” he said. “It just didn’t fit. It’s not personal, it was new coach and a trade happened.” Miles underwent surgery on Thursday to repair a stress fracture in his left foot and will be re-evaluated in six weeks.
The Wizards have officially signed free agent guard Phil Booth, the team announced today (via Twitter). According to Don Markus of The Baltimore Sun (Twitter link), Booth received an Exhibit 10 contract.
A Baltimore native, Booth won a pair of titles during his time at Villanova before going undrafted last month. In his final season as a Wildcat in 2018/19, the 6’3″ guard emerged as the team’s go-to scorer, averaging 18.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 3.8 APG with a .434/.367/.749 shooting line in 36 games.
The Cavaliers added Booth to their roster for Summer League play in Las Vegas this month and he showed off his scoring ability in four games for Cleveland, averaging 11.3 PPG in just 15.3 minutes per contest.
Booth appears to be on track to attend training camp with the Wizards. Although he’s probably unlikely to earn a regular season roster spot, he could end up on a two-way deal or playing for the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s G League affiliate.
Today marks the three-year anniversary of Bradley Beal signing his current five-year deal with the Wizards, which means it’s also the day he becomes eligible to sign a contract extension with the team.
New permanent general manager Tommy Sheppard vowed earlier in the week that the Wizards would offer Beal the maximum possible extension – nearly $112MM over three years – as soon as possible. According to David Aldridge of The Athletic (Twitter link), the team did just that today. However, Aldridge says that Beal isn’t signing that offer immediately — if at all.
As Aldridge details (via Twitter), Beal is grateful for the offer and remains committed to the franchise. But he also still has questions about the Wizards’ short- and long-term plans during the prime of his career, and has a better chance to maximize his earnings if he waits to sign a new contract. According to Aldridge (Twitter link), the two sides will continue to have “amiable” discussions about their future.
While it’s impossible for us to know at this point whether or not Beal will ultimately decide that he’s comfortable with the Wizards’ long-term vision and wants to remain in D.C. for the foreseeable future, we can at least crunch the numbers and break down why it makes more sense financially for the All-Star guard to hold off on an extension.
Cap guru Albert Nahmad has a more detailed round-up of all the scenarios on the table for Beal, but here’s a quick look at the maximum-salary extension available to him now as opposed to the ones that could be available next summer:
| Year | Now | July 2020 |
July 2020 (All-NBA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | $34,502,129 | $34,502,129 | $43,750,000 |
| 2022/23 | $37,262,299 | $37,262,299 | $47,250,000 |
| 2023/24 | $40,022,469 | $40,022,469 | $50,750,000 |
| 2024/25 | – | $42,782,639 | $54,250,000 |
| 2025/26 | – | – | $57,750,000 |
| Total | $111,786,897 | $154,569,536 | $253,750,000 |
That third column is an important one. Based on the NBA’s $125MM cap projection for 2021/22, that’s the super-max contract Beal would be eligible for if he earns All-NBA honors in 2019/20.
On a Wizards squad that projects to finish in the bottom five of the Eastern Conference, Beal will face an uphill battle when it comes to making an All-NBA team. Still, John Wall is expected to miss most or all of the season, and Beal put up his best numbers after Wall went down in 2018/19, averaging 27.2 PPG, 6.0 APG, and 5.1 RPG in 47 games the rest of the way.
Even if Beal isn’t named to an All-NBA team in 2019/20, he’d still have one year left on his current contract and would have an opportunity to become super-max eligible again during the 2020/21 season.
If Beal plays out the remaining two years on his current contract and reaches the open market in July of 2021, here are the maximum-salary options that would be available to him based on the league’s latest cap projections:
| Year | Re-signing |
Re-signing (All-NBA) |
Joining new team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | $37,500,000 | $43,750,000 | $37,500,000 |
| 2022/23 | $40,500,000 | $47,250,000 | $39,375,000 |
| 2023/24 | $43,500,000 | $50,750,000 | $41,250,000 |
| 2024/25 | $46,500,000 | $54,250,000 | $43,125,000 |
| 2025/26 | $49,500,000 | $57,750,000 | – |
| Total | $217,500,000 | $253,750,000 | $161,250,000 |
As this chart shows, Beal could, in theory, nearly double the total value of his next contract with the Wizards if he waits until free agency to re-sign with Washington rather than signing an extension right now. If he earns an All-NBA spot in either of the next two seasons, the value of his next deal could go even higher.
The salary figures here for joining a new team are also worth noting. Signing an extension with the Wizards today would lock in a $34.5MM salary for Beal in 2021/22. Unless the NBA’s cap projections for that season change significantly over the next two years, he’d be assured of a much larger starting salary by waiting until free agency, even if he signs with a new team at that point.
If Beal believes there might be a chance that his value as a player won’t be as high in a year or two as it is now, he may be more motivated to sign an extension right now and gain some long-term security. He’s still just 26 years old though, so there’s no reason to believe he won’t maintain his current value for at least the next two seasons, barring a significant injury.
With Beal unlikely to accept an extension offer from the Wizards anytime soon, we can probably expect to hear increasing trade speculation surrounding the star guard in the coming weeks and months. However, Sheppard has said the team doesn’t plan to go down that road, and the numbers detailed above show why it makes sense for Beal to wait on a new deal even if he wants to remain in Washington.
As long as Beal doesn’t express a desire to be sent elsewhere, I wouldn’t expect the Wizards to start seriously entertaining a trade anytime soon, with or without an extension in place.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Sashi Brown, who previously led the NFL’s Cleveland Browns but will now work within the Wizards‘ new-look front office, admits that it will take some time to transition to the NBA, though he sees opportunity to add value, as Chase Hughes of NBC Sports passes along.
“I think that if you’re relying on winning to develop your culture you probably don’t have a very good culture,” Brown said. “It really has to be the driver for winning. That’s what we’re going to do. We’ve got guys that are experienced and passionate that will hold the entire organization accountable.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Goran Dragic was nearly traded this offseason and that might suggest that his days on the Heat are numbered but Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel sees it differently. The scribe envisions Dragic playing better in 2019/20 and suggests that the best move for both parties would be to sign a one-year deal at the end of the season, as the Heat are financially gearing up for the summer of 2021 in order to chase star free agents.
- The Hornets may have to choose between Malik Monk and Nicolas Batum as they decide who will be in their starting lineup, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes. The decision could come down to whether the team is planning on competing this season or investing in their young prospects.
- Anthony Davis, who is from Chicago, called the city the “Mecca of basketball,” as The Chicago Tribune passes along. Davis added that he’d consider joining the Bulls at some point in the future if it made sense to do so.
Wizards swingman C.J. Miles will undergo surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left foot, the team announced today in a press release. The procedure will be performed later today in New York.
“Our medical team has done a fantastic job of proactively diagnosing C.J.’s condition and establishing a treatment protocol,” new Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard said in a statement. “He will continue to be a positive influence on our team as he works through his rehab and we’re looking forward to getting him back on the court when he is healthy.”
It’s not clear if Miles is at risk of missing training camp or the start of the regular season. The Wizards indicated that they’ll issue another update on his condition in six weeks.
Miles, who is in the final year of the three-year contract he signed with the Raptors in 2017, was sent from Toronto to Memphis at last season’s deadline in the Marc Gasol trade. The Grizzlies flipped him to Washington this summer in exchange for Dwight Howard.
Miles’ 2018/19 season came to an early end when he was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left foot in March. Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington tweets that Miles didn’t believe there were any red flags with that injury when he took a physical upon being acquired by the Wizards. However, as Sheppard’s statement suggests, it appears Washington’s medical team discovered a stress fracture that needs to be addressed via surgery.
Wizards owner Ted Leonsis believes the franchise can make a quick turnaround, as he told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. He believes that with backcourt stars John Wall and Bradley Beal leading the way, Washington can become a contender. However, Wall is expected to miss all of next season as he recovers from an Achilles tear.
“My belief is that you can you do things fast. We have the wherewithal and resources and facilities and technology,” Leonsis said. “If we can bring John back and, with Brad, develop our draft picks and assets, start to manage the [salary] cap, why can’t this be quick? It doesn’t need to be a five years it took when we drafted John and Brad. We can turn this one faster.”
We have more on the Wizards:
- Leonsis indicated that new GM Tommy Sheppard and chief planning and operations officer Sashi Brown will have equal say on decisions where their duties overlap, according to NBC Sports Washington’s Chase Hughes. There is going to be much more shared decision-making in the new front office setup. However, Brown said that basketball personnel decisions will ultimately be made by Sheppard (Twitter links).
- Daniel Medina will also play a major front office role, according to USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt. Medina has been hired as the chief of athlete care and performance for Monumental Basketball. He will focus on medical, training, mental health, strength and conditioning, nutrition, and physical therapy and recovery. “The goal is to create a very collaborative, many-hands-make-light-work level and be prepared for the new NBA where data technology and health and wellness and all of these services merge with what is happening on the court,” Leonsis said.
- Leonsis now believes having three max players on the roster isn’t conducive to building a successful team, David Aldridge of The Athletic tweets. Leonsis previously felt that having three max stars was the way to go but he now subscribes to the theory that spreading the wealth is a better approach. “Depth is becoming so much more important in this league, just because of the injuries,” he said.
The Clippers were portrayed as a distant third in the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes before the opportunity developed to trade for Paul George, but their work behind the scenes paved the way for success, according to Jovan Buha and Sam Amick of The Athletic in a detailed look at one of the offseason’s most important stories.
Everything came together late on the night of July 5 when a tentative deal was reached with the Thunder that would deliver George for a generous return of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks and two pick swaps. The Clippers’ front office then held its collective breath during a phone call to Leonard and his representatives to make sure he was on board.
When the answer came, L.A. vaulted into a short list of the league’s elite teams. Pairing Leonard and George gives them a pair of two-way stars in their prime who are capable of delivering the first championship in franchise history. It also brings a pair of Southern California natives back home, but the authors suggest that storyline was overblown in Leonard’s case.
From the start of free agency, Leonard was focused on finding a team that could contend for a title every year. He spoke to the Clippers several times each day once free agency began, continuing the conversation past his official meeting on July 1. The team’s selling points included owner Steve Ballmer’s commitment to winning and to spending whatever it takes to get there, a player-friendly environment and a planned new arena in Inglewood.
It turns out that discretion also worked in the Clippers’ favor. They have a history of making major deals without leaking to the press, as evidenced by recent trades involving Blake Griffin and Tobias Harris. It’s an approach that Leonard’s camp insisted upon, and it helped them as Leonard sorted through his options.
The payoff came late that Friday night as George and Leonard committed to joining forces. As Buha and Amick note, the moves validated everything the Clippers have set up since Ballmer bought the team and allowed them to cash in the assets they collected in the Griffin and Harris deals. All the small moves they had made in recent years suddenly turned into a very big deal.
There are a few more significant details from the Athletic story:
- In contrast to the Clippers‘ reputation to operating in the shadows, the Lakers tend to be very public about their business. Some observers believe their chances at Leonard were severely damaged when details of his meeting with former team president Magic Johnson became public. “I truly believe that when Magic started telling the media about the meeting he had with Kawhi and (his uncle and confidant, Dennis Robertson) that sealed the fate of the Lakers,” a person involved in the process told the authors. “I think that right there was when Dennis and Kawhi decided we can’t trust the Lakers as an organization. And that was it. I think that was it for them.”
- Before learning of the opportunity with George, the Clippers ran through exhaustive scenarios about NBA stars who might be available. They contacted the Wizards about Bradley Beal and the Rockets about James Harden, but were turned down in both cases. Leonard, meanwhile, reached out to Jimmy Butler and Kevin Durant about coming to Los Angeles.
- George and Russell Westbrook both talked to the Thunder in June about shaking up the franchise, frustrated by a second straight early playoff exit. However, Oklahoma City management believed everything had been smoothed over by the time free agency began.
- Leonard, who has built a reputation of knocking off “super teams,” wasn’t especially interested in forming another one by joining LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the Lakers. “Elite players like Kawhi earn their stripes, and he was not going to be a guy who joins a so-called ‘super team,’” a source told The Athletic’s Shams Charania. “Now, if a super team forms around him, there is nothing he can control. The Clippers were the best long-term fit.”
Speaking today to reporters, including Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link), Wizards owner Ted Leonsis acknowledged that injured point guard John Wall “probably won’t play” during the 2019/20 season.
Wall is recovering from an Achilles tear he suffered earlier this year and the Wizards are taking his recovery and rehab process slowly to make sure they get it right, Leonsis said today.
Wall is entering the first season of a four-year, $171MM super-max contract which will run through the 2022/23 season, so the Wizards will certainly be motivated to get him healthy and rebuild his value for the last few years of that deal.
Leonsis’ comments confirm what we already expected, since a report earlier this month indicated that the Wizards had applied for a disabled player exception as a result of Wall’s injury. A DPE permits a team to replace a seriously injured player by adding someone without using cap space.
Before granting the exception, the league would have to rule that the injured player is “substantially more likely than not” to be out of action through at least June 15 of the league year. There has been no word on whether the Wizards’ request been approved, but even applying for a DPE represented a tacit acknowledgement that Wall was unlikely to play in 2019/20.
If the Wizards receive a disabled player exception, it would be worth $9.258MM. The club would be able to use it to sign a player to a one-year contract worth up to that amount, or to trade for a player on an expiring contract, assuming his salary fits into the DPE. It could also be used on a waiver claim.
The Wizards will be eligible on Friday to offer Bradley Beal a three-year contract extension worth more than $111MM, and newly-permanent general manager Tommy Sheppard tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski the team is ready to put that offer on the table.
“At the very first moment allowed, we are going to offer Bradley the full max extension,” Sheppard said.
[RELATED: Bradley Beal withdraws from World Cup consideration]
Players like Beal – who are on contracts that span at least five years – are permitted to sign veteran contract extensions on the third anniversary of their signing date. Beal’s last contract was finalized on July 26, 2016, so his extension eligibility window opens on July 26 of this year. An extension would start in the 2021/22 season, once his current deal expires.
Still, there’s no guarantee that the All-Star guard will accept the Wizards’ offer once it’s officially on the table. Beal’s agent Mark Bartelstein tells Candace Buckner of The Washington Post (Twitter link) that there “hasn’t been a decision to make as of yet,” suggesting that he and Beal will begin thinking seriously about his contract situation once they have the extension offer in hand.
“There are moments in a career where there are big decisions to make, and Brad will work through everything and figure out the right thing to do,” Bartelstein told Wojnarowski. “There are nothing but great feelings for [Wizards owner] Ted [Leonsis], Tommy and [head coach] Scott [Brooks]. They’ve treated Brad wonderfully.”
There has been speculation that the Wizards might feel pressure to place Beal on the trade block if he turns down an extension offer, but Sheppard tells Wojnarowski that the team has no plans to go down that road. Sheppard, who said the Wizards would also be open to a shorter-term extension for Beal if he prefers it, added that he intends to sell the 26-year-old on the future of the reshaped organization now that he has been installed as the permanent GM.
[RELATED: Wizards officially announce front office changes]
Turning down an extension offer at this time wouldn’t necessarily mean that Beal isn’t interested in staying in D.C. long-term. He’d be eligible for a longer, more lucrative extension a year from now, particularly if he earns All-NBA honors next season — that would make him eligible for a five-year, super-max extension next offseason.
Even if Beal doesn’t make an All-NBA team and simply plays out his current contract, he’d be in a better position to maximize his long-term earnings as a free agent. Assuming the Wizards still have Beal on their roster by the 2021 offseason, they could offer him $217.5MM over five years at that time, based on the league’s latest cap projections.
While we’ll have to wait to find out what Beal is thinking, Wojnarowski’s story makes it clear the Wizards are serious about building around him. Sheppard indicated that the club wants to “surround him with guys he wants to play with,” while Woj reports that Leonsis traveled to Chicago to present the team’s new vision to Bartelstein.
Wizards guard Bradley Beal has become the latest Team USA star to withdraw from consideration for the 2019 World Cup, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). According to Haynes, Beal has a new baby on the way in late August or early September, which is when the World Cup is scheduled to take place.
Beal is the fifth player from Team USA’s initial 20-man training camp roster to remove his name from consideration for this year’s event. The squad’s backcourt has been hit particularly hard, with James Harden, CJ McCollum, Eric Gordon, and Beal all pulling out. Anthony Davis has also withdrawn.
Of course, Team USA is only permitted to carry 12 players on its eventual World Cup roster, so there are still more than enough names on the list of camp participants. Still, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see some Select Team invitees receive stronger consideration for the final roster — it’s possible USA Basketball will also sent out additional invites to other players.
Here are the 15 players from the initial 20-man list who are still expected to attend training camp next month and vie for the 12 spots on Team USA’s 2019 World Cup roster:
- Harrison Barnes, F (Kings)
- Andre Drummond, C (Pistons)
- Tobias Harris, F (Sixers)
- Kyle Kuzma, F (Lakers)
- Damian Lillard, G (Trail Blazers)
- Brook Lopez, C (Bucks)
- Kevin Love, F (Cavaliers)
- Kyle Lowry, G (Raptors)
- Note: Lowry recently underwent thumb surgery but reportedly intends to be ready for the World Cup.
- Khris Middleton, G/F (Bucks)
- Paul Millsap, F/C (Nuggets)
- Donovan Mitchell, G (Jazz)
- Jayson Tatum, F (Celtics)
- Myles Turner, C (Pacers)
- P.J. Tucker, F (Rockets)
- Kemba Walker, G (Celtics)