Washington Wizards interim general manager Tommy Sheppard has yet to ponder the possibility of trading star Bradley Beal, saying the team would prefer to build around him, praising his value and character while emphasizing he will be the one that shapes the future of the franchise:
“Not at all. It’s never crossed our mind,” said Sheppard, according to Ben Standig of The Athletic. “Bradley is somebody we’re building around. He’s a tremendous player, a tremendous person. One day he might make the Hall of Fame and still be a better person. He’s a tremendous guy. “He’s been involved with everything we’re doing in the draft, free agency. We need his opinion. We want this team to be a reflection of what he is all about. We kind of came up with a slogan, ‘Let’s go to work’ and that’s all about him, the example he sets. Anybody who comes into our airspace going forward is going to have that reflection of what Bradley Beal is like and knowing that you have a five-time All-Star sitting and getting healthy.”
The latter part of Sheppard's quote is what makes this so tough to believe. The Wizards could potentially be punting away this season with John Wall on the sidelines for a large chunk of the 2019-20 season, and potentially all of it.
Washington saw Beal go solo in the second part of last season, and as much as it developed him and sharpened his tools as a playmaker, the Wizards (32-50) were out of contention by a large margin.
Plenty of teams would have interest in trading for Beal, but the Wizards are not actively listening to any proposed packages for their five-time All-Star as it is.
Follow Us
Subscribe