Report: Bradley Beal still leaning toward signing a multiyear deal with Washington

As the Philadelphia 76ers look to revamp their roster this offseason following another disappointing second-round exit, one avenue being speculated upon is the team bringing in another star. One name at the forefront of that speculation has been Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst seemed to hint at the possibility a week ago, and Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer discussed the smoke around that scenario on a podcast episode less than two months ago with Liberty Ballers’ Dave Early. Beal, of course, was a hotly-rumored target for Philadelphia at last season’s trade deadline, and the Drew Hanlen-Pure Sweat connection with Joel Embiid has always thrown some additional logs on the fire.

However, based on reporting from Ava Wallace in The Washington Post yesterday, we should maybe slow our collective roll on rolling out the red carpet for Beal here in Philadelphia. The article, which primarily focuses on Beal’s admirable charitable works in the D.C. community, as he is set to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for new basketball courts, also contains some pertinent information regarding his NBA future.

Beal said he is still leaning toward signing a multiyear deal with Washington worth roughly $250 million in July, and in the meantime he’s focused on rehab after having his cast removed in late April following season-ending wrist surgery in February.

This does not sound like a man seeking a change of scenery:

But mostly Beal has had a lot of downtime to ponder life off the court — including his charitable endeavors and his legacy in D.C. The timing of the court refurbishment felt perfect.

“This injury also gave me a mental break, a time to evaluate life, and I haven’t changed my mind-set,” Beal said. “I enjoy being in D.C.; I enjoy being on this team.”

With reporting that the Sixers view Tyrese Maxey as a franchise cornerstone and untouchable, they don’t have the assets to offer Washington what would be fair-market value in a trade for the three-time All-Star. Any scenario where Beal came to Philadelphia would involve him pushing his way here, telling the Wizards they would eventually lose him for nothing, so they might as well get something now. A multiyear deal would put an end to that path for Philadelphia.

Now, sure, we’ve just seen firsthand in Philadelphia how even a star signed for years to come can push his way out of town. But a player would have to be particularly disgruntled in his current situation to play that particular game of chicken. Beal’s comments, both yesterday and in the past, have always painted him as a guy happy with his situation. To me, at least, he’s always come across as a person who puts his personal life above seeking an optimal on-court path to success in his career. And honestly, that’s cool. He seems to love that community, his family is happy there, and he gets to be a very rich man. I can’t say I blame him one bit; that sounds like a great life. It’s the anti-Ringzzz mentality, but it might be the more enlightened approach.

Anyway, for Sixers fans hoping Beal would force his way here to create a new Big 4 with Embiid, James Harden, and Maxey, I would suggest dreaming a new dream. I’m sure Daryl Morey and company have other irons in the fire.