NBA: Bradley Beal and the Wizards have a trade ‘agreement’ if team decides to rebuild

Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards have a ‘mutual understanding’ in place that will bring both parties together to find a trade that’d send the three-time All-Star to a contender, if the team choses to press the reset button, The Athletic‘s reported.

It remains to be seen if the Wizards elect to go down the rebuild route and ultimately decide to trade its best player, but both sides are believe to be working on trying to a path forward ‘amicably,’ especially with the 2023 NBA Draft coming up on June 22.

What’s more is that unnamed sources have revealed that the Miami Heat are one of several teams expected to enter the running for Beal if he’s put on the trade block.

Washington must figure out a way to trade Beal away, however. The 29-year-old just completed the first season of a five-year, $251million extension signed last summer. 

The deal includes a no-trade clause allowing the guard to block any trade and it also includes a 15 percent trade bonus. 

Wizards guard Bradley Beal has agreed with the organization that he could leave this summer

Tommy Sheppard was the Wizards’ president and general manager when Beal put pen to paper last offseason. The team’s main owner, Ted Leonsis, fired Sheppard just weeks before the end of the regular season on April 19, following yet another playoff miss — the fourth time in the last five seasons. 

And when Michael Winger was hired as president of Monumental Basketball last week after being poached away from the LA Clippers, he made it clear he’s got work to do as the Wizards’ new top basketball executive, and that may include sorting out Beal’s future first. 

‘The goal is to pursue championships by any means necessary,’ Winger said at his introductory news conference on June 8. ‘It will take time. It’s going to start on the ground floor. It’s not just players. It’s not just coaches. We’re going to do everything a little bit better tomorrow than it’s being done today…Eventually we’re going to hoist a trophy here in D.C. I can’t promise you when.’ 

The Wizards, who last won an NBA championship in 1978-79, missed the playoffs the last two seasons with 35-47 records and haven’t advanced past the first round since 2016-17. 

Winger said Leonsis, has given him the go-ahead for a total teardown, if necessary. 

Michael Winger was hired as CEO of Wizards basketball in June and will hold talks with Beal

Winger said Wizards owner Ted Leonsis has given him the go-ahead for a total teardown

‘Full authority to reset the team, if that’s what we decide to do,’ Winger said. ‘We just haven’t sat down and figured it out yet.’ 

Forward Kyle Kuzma is a free agent, who previously indicated he wants to return. Forward Kristaps Porzingis has a $36 million player option for next season. 

‘Right now, I have to defer to those guys to see where their heads are,’ Winger said. ‘They’re principals of the teams, and they carry a lot of water. It’s important for us to get to know those guys.

‘We’re versed on them as players. We just don’t know them as men. One of the things that’s important for us is to get to know these guys and figure out where they want to see this team go and what they want from us.’

Beal, who’ll turn 30 on June 28, averaged 23.2 points per game on a career-high 50.6 overall shooting last season, though nagging injuries and a spell in the NBA’s health-and-safety protocols limited him to 50 games.