Beal or No Beal
Bradley Beal / Hoops Rumors
The time has officially come for the “Free Bradley Beal” crowd to stop operations immediately. After opting out of his player option, Wizards guard Bradley Beal signed a five-year, $251 million contract to return to Washington. Despite being eligible to sign elsewhere with a real contender, the loyal Wizard has returned to the team that drafted him to cement himself as a bag chaser over a ring chaser.
Now look, I do not want this to be an article where it sounds like I am taking shots at the guy. I respect the work he has put in, and Beal has certainly earned that money. Plus, when you have an offer like that, it sure is hard to say no. Had he wanted to go elsewhere to have an increased chance at winning, he could have signed a four-year, $184 million deal. So, from that perspective, you are losing around $70 million to get a ring. As is the case with most decisions in life, there will be haters on both sides.
On the one hand, choosing to stay has people ragging on him for getting money over a ring. But, on the other hand, if he left, people would say he is not loyal and is just a ring chaser, and that’s it. So it really is a lose-lose situation with outside noise. Luckily for Beal, he did not care about the outside noise and chose to get the money he felt he deserved over getting a ring to help his potential Hall of Fame case (if he even has one).
As someone who will never be in the position to make a decision like this, I personally would go for the ring. A ring is the one thing that players who are great but do not have will hear about for the rest of their lives. Players like Charles Barkley, Russ Westbrook, and Chris Paul are all great players with Hall of Fame cases. However, without a ring, it is tougher to argue for. The difference with those guys is that they left to play elsewhere and go for the ring. NOW, the loyalty could pay off depending on what the organization does. See Dirk Nowitzki for proof of that.
With all this being said, let's briefly break down where this decision leaves him. In 10 NBA seasons with Washington, Beal has three All-Star selections and was named to an All-NBA team. He has been to the playoffs five times and won a total of three series, the most recent occurring back in 2017. However, the current roster around him is that of a six-seed at best, with a near-certain first-round elimination if they were to make it to the playoffs. By adding guys like Monte Morris and Will Barton, their roster has improved a bit but is still nowhere close to that of a contender. The team has five years to try and get this right, but the history of this team shows no signs of that happening during Beal’s next five years. As the team is currently constructed, Washington is not an appealing destination for stars and still does not compete with top teams such as the Bucks, Celtics, and Sixers.
Beal’s commitment to the organization is respectable, and I am fully aware that plenty of factors go into decisions for these players outside the sport. Family members, kids in school, business adventures, non-profits, etc., can factor into a player’s choice. All I am saying is that no one can ever say “Free Bradley Beal” again because he had the chance to be freed and chose money over a ring. Let’s see how it pans out for the All-Star guard.
