Will Bradley Beal leave Washington this summer? Depends on who you ask.
The Wizards star is expected to decline his $36.4 million player option for the 2022-23 NBA season and enter unrestricted free agency on June 30, HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reported Tuesday night, citing a league source.
Less than 20 minutes after Scotto's report, however, Beal chimed in on Twitter:
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SIGN UP HERE Even if Beal wants to stay in Washington, it makes sense for him decline his player option. The three-time All-Star is eligible to sign a new five-year, $247.6 million contract with the Wizards, which is $64 million more than any deal could sign with another team.
So, it's very possible that Beal briefly enters free agency before re-upping with Washington, and that Beal simply was balking at the suggestion that he may leave the Wizards in free agency.
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If Beal does want out of Washington, the Boston Celtics are an intriguing possibility. Beal and Celtics star Jayson Tatum are lifelong friends (Beal babysat Tatum as a child in St. Louis), and a trio of Tatum, Beal and Jaylen Brown would be a strong championship contender.
The most realistic avenue for Boston adding Beal is via a sign-and-trade, but that would require some cap gymnastics and seems unlikely to happen this offseason, as former NBA general manager Ryan McDonough explained Monday.
That said, Beal's contract status (and Twitter account) are worth monitoring closely over the next few weeks.