Washington Wizards: Wall and Beal aren’t going anywhere (for now)

As rumors continue to blossom about the futures of Wall and Beal, we take a look at why the Washington Wizards will keep both stars.

The Washington Wizards haven’t won a playoff series since the 2016-17 NBA season. As a result, many rumors have developed over that span and are still rising today about the futures of John Wall and Bradley Beal with the team.

It’s been a while since Wall last played an NBA game. He missed most of the 2018-19 season with the Wizards after having surgery on his left heel and has missed the entire 2019-20 season due to repairing a ruptured Achilles tendon that involved another surgery.

Known for his explosiveness off the dribble and elite playmaking abilities, some believe that he won’t be able to possess those same capabilities anymore after his long past of injuries.

Despite those setbacks, Wall could return to the court more healthy than ever after a long recovery process to get back to the dominant point guard we all remember him as. Don’t forget that John Wall is a five-time NBA All-Star that has averaged 19.0 points and 9.2 assists per game over his career.

Wall recently stated, “I’m 110 percent. I’m healthy” (per Fred Katz, The Athletic). While his message certainly provides optimism for the Washington Wizards moving forward, there remain worries about his contributions and future in Washington DC, which is understandable.

During Wall’s absence on the floor, there have also been rumors about which direction the Wizards organization is heading in. Questions continue to float on whether they will opt to rebuild instead of competing for playoff spots shortly.

Washington currently possesses a variety of young prospects including Rui Hachimura, Thomas Bryant, and Troy Brown Jr. along with a likely lottery pick in the upcoming 2020 NBA Draft. If the organization does indeed decide to rebuild, it would likely mean placing Wall and Beal on the trade block in an attempt to acquire more young, promising talent combined with future draft capital.

However, trading both of their stars could become complicated, especially in this upcoming offseason and mostly in regards to Wall. His value right now is a mystery due to his lengthy disappearance from NBA games, but it’s no secret that his value has gone down since the last time he played.

Also, Wall is currently on a four-year, $171.1 million contract. He will enter the second year of his contract next season while earning $41.2 million at 30 years old.

• 2020-21: $41.2 million
• 2021-22: $44.3 million
• 2022-23: $47.3 million (player-option)

Even if teams wanted to trade for Wall’s services, his contract could immediately scare them out of interest. For that reason along with his history of injuries, the idea of finding a potential trade partner appears to be highly unlikely.

The Wizards should be stuck with Wall on the roster until his contract expires, but that could end up being a positive outcome with him becoming fully healthy.

The situation with Bradley Beal is an entirely different story. Beal is currently averaging an outstanding 30.5 points with 6.1 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game on 45.5 percent shooting during the 2019-20 season. He should be selected to an All-NBA team this year despite being snubbed from the All-Star Game.

Beal’s value has grown tremendously throughout this season’s campaign, causing many teams to gauge interest in him. The Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat, LA Lakers, and New Orleans Pelicans have all reportedly expressed interest in him lately.

If the Wizards opt to trade Beal, they could receive enormous value in return. However, there have been no significant signs that Washington intends to trade him nor does Beal want out. They seem to be mutually committed to one another at this time.

As they should be. Beal will soon turn just 27 years old. His commitment to Washington has remained intangible, especially after signing a two-year, $71.8 million veteran contract extension last year. Beal’s contract now runs through the 2021-22 season with a player-option in 2022-23.

He’s been loyal to the Wizards ever since being drafted No. 3 overall by them in 2012, so why part ways now when his All-Star backcourt partner is returning healthy and ready to roll?

There isn’t a logical explanation for the Wizards to trade Beal in the upcoming offseason since Wall’s return could allow the team to become highly competitive once again. Perhaps competing for a top-four playoff seed in the east for the next few years.

The Wizards organization shouldn’t lean in the direction of a complete rebuild process. With an upcoming lottery pick in the draft, an ideal amount of flexible cap space to pursue attractive free agents and a healthy roster intact, the Wizards could implement themselves as a legitimate threat in the east for next season and beyond.

That’s what the organization should initially set out and strive for. This offseason will serve as a key factor in determining their identity, culture and competitiveness for the near future. If Washington fails to form a winning team for next season, actions could be taken that move toward rebuilding.

Let’s say the Wizards aren’t in the playoff picture and failing expectations by next season’s trade deadline. It would be apprehensible for the franchise to become open to the idea of trading both Beal and Wall. In that situation, rebuilding would be coherent.

Nevertheless, the Wizards have the capabilities of deeply improving the structure of their roster and building a much more successful team this offseason. Also, it’s hard to see the organization shipping out either of Wall or Beal anytime soon, at least for now.