The Washington Wizards and Bradley Beal finally came together and agreed on a max extension. Beal signed a five-year, $251 million extension with a player option for the fifth year. The contract is the second largest in NBA history. Clearly, the Wizards were willing to do whatever it took to lock up their superstar guard. That included give him an absolute no-trade clause in the contract. He is the only active player in the NBA with one and only the 10th player in NBA history.
Friday morning, Wizards owner Ted Leonsis addressed the media regarding the relationship with Beal and the reason for including the n0-trade clause.
Leonsis said he doesn't view the no-trade clause in Beal's contract as a point of leverage, but a "point of partnership" Said a way to become a destination for players around the league is to show that the organization invests in players and rewards loyalty. https://t.co/JvUXCf9asL
— Ava Wallace (@avarwallace) July 8, 2022
Leonsis talked about rewarding a player's loyalty and using that to show other players that Washington is a good place to play. He also detailed the status of the relationship between the Wizards and Beal, with trade talk and rumors swirling.
“He doesn't want to be traded, and we don't want to trade him,” Leonsis said.
The Wizards owner would go on to discuss how the franchise did not view the no-trade clause as a point of leverage. Instead, he referred to it as a “point of partnership.”
Beal is coming off of an injury plagued 2021-2022 season where he only played 40 games. His production took a huge hit as well, as his scoring averaged dropped more than seven points per game last season. Yet, he is still considered to be one of the best pure scorers in basketball.
It appears both Beal and the Wizards are in a good place and he will be there for a long time.
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