The Washington Wizards started 2021-22 at an impressive pace, but have regressed to seventh in the Eastern Conference after losing seven of their last nine games. Though role players like Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell exceeded expectations early on, opponents have recently constructed a better game plan against the Wizards. As Washington slides down the standings, concerns turn back to the long-term commitment of franchise cornerstone Bradley Beal.
He has a player option on his current contract for 2022-23, and recently said on Posted Up With Chris Haynes that he does not want to make another grand commitment to Washington if his team isn't in contention. Similar to Damian Lillard, Beal possesses the utmost loyalty to the city that drafted him, but he wants to experience winning championships in the course of his NBA career.
As Beal continues to weigh his options, it's not advisable for him to sign a long-term deal in Washington if he wants to win a title soon. Here are three reasons why.
Lack of star power in supporting cast
Behind Beal and John Wall, one of basketball's brightest young tandems, the Wizards reached the Eastern Conference Semifinals three times in the mid-2010s. Unfortunately, Wall sustained a slew of injuries that drastically affected his career, thus leaving Beal as the main man in Washington. Even if Beal has raised his points and assists numbers, it wouldn't be enough for Washington to compete with true powerhouses in the East.
Beal averaged 30.5 and 31.3 points per game, respectively, over the last two seasons, but the Wizards have only reached as far as the first round of the playoffs. If Beal decides to switch uniforms, his stats would plummet on a championship-contending squad, but his talent would be utilized in a winning environment. Moreover, Beal has proven that he can flourish in a system as the secondary ball handler because of his tremendous movement off the ball and smooth, if streaky, three-point shooting.
East is so much stronger now
The East was known as the weaker conference for most of the last two decades, but that has immensely changed over the past few seasons. Two of the last three champions came from the East, and superstars like Kevin Durant and James Harden have moved to the East coast. If Beal decides to stick it out with Washington for a few more years, he would need to overcome a team led by Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Butler, Trae Young or Jayson Tatum if he aspires to have a deep playoff run.
Realistically, those five aforementioned individuals have a better all-around repertoire compared to Beal. Thus, if Washington is having trouble adding complementary stars to its roster, it would still be tough for the Wizards to reach the East Finals or Finals with Beal solely leading the charge. The construction of other franchises in the East seems more sustainable because of their combination of talent and supplementary pieces.
With Beal desiring to win soon, he must highly consider declining his player option and testing out the free-agent market.
Little playoff, championship experience
From the current crop of Washington's lineup, the only players with championship experience are Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Additionally, these two athletes do not possess the qualities of the vocal leader that's necessary for all teams to win a title. Every previous champion had a couple of players on their squad who would galvanize the troops when adversity struck to make sure their goals are still clear to the team.
There must be someone in the Wizards' locker room who would motivate his teammates to change their approach. Beal is more of a player who would lead by example, while the team's other instrumental pieces are still gaining the traits required to be a vocal leader. The person who would inspire his teammates does not necessarily have to be the most talented, but must possess leadership qualities that elicit trust from his teammates.
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