Mar 29, 2022; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) laughs as Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan (11) reacts after the game at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
NBABy Sean Keeley on

The NBA’s free agency period is officially underway and Bradley Beal wasted little time in securing the bag. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the All-Star guard has agreed to a five-year, $251 million maximum contract to stay with the Washington Wizards.

The 29-year-old has played his entire 10-year career with the Wizards and appears to be committed to remaining with the franchise for the foreseeable future. Of course, things change quickly in the NBA, extensions or no extensions.

Beal is coming off a season in which he averaged 23.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.6 assists in 40 games before undergoing season-ending wrist surgery in February. Before that, Beal averaged at least 30 points per game in the previous two seasons, including a 31.3 average in 2020-2021.

The Florida phenom was the No. 3 pick in the 2012 NBA draft and has made good on that by entering his name into the top five of several franchise categories, including the most 3-pointers in Washington history.

Of course, the franchise also hopes that it can make good on Beal’s numbers with more consistent seasons. After making the Eastern Conference semifinals three out of four years early on in his career, they’ve only made the playoffs once since 2018.

While the numbers shake out and Wizards fans breathe a sigh of relief, there were certainly a lot of strong reactions around the NBA world in response to the news of Beal’s extension. Some loved the deal while others think it is not going to end well for Washington.

[Woj]

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About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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