“We’re Building This Team Around Bradley Beal”: Wizards GM Dismisses Trade Talks With Warriors

Bradley Beal has been the talk of the town this NBA off-season. The Washington Wizards’ star has been in the center of multiple rumors, with the Golden State Warriors being a team Beal he has been heavily linked with.

The Warriors had a dismal 2019-20 season, given the long-term injuries their stars suffered. The Dubs are trying to strengthen the big three by adding Beal to assert themselves as the favorites.

The Warriors would welcome Beal with open arms, but GM has Tommy Sheppard has some other plans. Speaking on the Lowe Post Podcast, Sheppard said, “We’re building this team around Bradley Beal.” Sheppard added, “He’s a tremendous human being. He’s a tremendous player. He’s exactly what we want to have here with the Washington Wizards.”

Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards’ Future

Bradley Beal has been one of the most pivotal players for the Wizards in the last decade. The 28-year-old who was the third pick in the 2012 draft class is in his eighth season with the franchise. The team has come a long way since then.

Beal, along with John Wall, is the cornerstone of this franchise. Before the injury to Wall in the 2018-19 season, the team had progressed to the NBA playoffs four times. Wall’s injury forced Beal to take charge.

Beal was the star performer in a rather lackluster performance from the Wizards. He averaged a career-high 30.5 points, 6.1 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. These numbers are were still not enough to get Beal into the NBA All-stars.

The Wizards had a record of 25 wins and 47 losses, which showed how dependent they were on Beal. The only upside to this was that Bradley Beal developed into an elite scorer and imagining his partnership with a healthy John Wall is scary.

The 2020-21 NBA season has encouraging signs for the Wizards, as they see the return of their other superstar. Wall, who suffered from a ruptured ACL, returns almost after 2 years to the NBA.

The early workout sessions have been encouraging for the Wizards. John Wall looks fitter than ever, and even Beal is excited to see his teammate back. If Wall is anywhere near his pre-injury form, the Wizards can surely become a playoff team once again.

The Wizards also need to add some efficient role players to the roster. The current roster could not provide much support to Beal and if this continues then Wall and Beal will get frustrated with the lack of success. The Wizards will only stay as a franchise are always at the fringes of the playoffs.