The NBA's salary cap is set to spike this offseason thank to the league's new lucrative TV deal kicking in this summer. That means that more than half of the league's teams will have gobs and gobs of salary cap space to throw at free agents this offseason. Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal will be one of those free agents, and he is looking to take full advantage of the financial landscape.
As a restricted free agent, Beal will be seeking a max contract once free agency officially opens on July 1. As such, he's open to leaving the Wizards if they aren't willing to meet his asking price.
"I want to be valued the right way," Beal said in a recent interview. "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."
As of now, a 2016-17 max salary deal for a player with zero to six years of NBA service is estimated to be about $21.6 million annually. A max five-year contract from Washington for Beal would run the team around $124.2 million. A four-year max offer sheet from another team will settle around $92.2 million.
Due to the cap increase, looming salaries will not match up with a player's on-court value. Though Beal is a talented player at a relatively thin position in the NBA, he has proven to be injury prone during his four-year NBA career. Since entering the league, Beal has only appeared in 247 of a possible 328 regular-season games. During the 2015-16 season, Beal only managed to suit up for 55 games. When asked about his injury woes, Beal downplayed the significance of his availability.
"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."
The Wizards will have to determine if that's true or not before handing over a max deal.
Beal averaged 17.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists this season. He's a career 40 percent shooter from three-point range.
Follow Brandon Katz at @Great_Katzby
