Bradley Beal believes he deserves max deal, hints at leaving Wizards if they don't pay up
Bradley Beal has yet to play a full 82 games during his first four years in the league. He's coming off an injury-plagued campaign that limited him to a career-low 55 games.
But the Washington Wizards shooting guard doesn't believe his injury woes or mediocre production should limit his earning potential. Beal thinks he's a max player and might leave the Wizards if they're not willing to meet his contract demands.
"I want to be valued the right way," Beal, said from Japan, via the Washington Post. "I feel like I'm a max player and that's what I'm looking for. If Washington can't meet that requirement then I may be thinking elsewhere. I'm pretty sure that they probably won't [let me go]. At the end of the day, that's where I want to be. I think a deal will probably get done but you just never know."
The league's salary cap is expected to jump at least $20 million because of the new television contract. If the cap jumps to $92 million, Beal would get $23 million next season if he gets a max contract this summer.
Beal shot a career-high 45 percent from the floor and averaged a career-best 17.4 points last season. But he suffered his fourth stress injury to his right fibula last season, an injury concern that could leave teams leery of offering big bucks to the fourth-year pro.
"I hear about it all time, but that doesn't define me as a player," Beal said. "That won't stop me from growing as a player and it won't stop me from being who I am. The injury thing, that's behind me. I'm moving forward. I'm past it. I'm focused on my career from here on out. Hell, Steph Curry was hurt his first four years. Look at him now. John [Wall] was hurt his first three or four years. Look at him now. I'm not worried about it. People are going to say what they want to say. At the end of the day, it's not going to affect me or the money."
With the cap jumping so drastically, it will give a number of teams the financial flexibility to offer max deals. But it will be interesting to see if any team will offer the 22-year-old the max deal he's seeking despite struggling to stay healthy.
