Wizards Rumors: Beal, Free Agent Recruiting, Kuzma, Schemes

Bradley Beal become eligible for a contract extension on Friday and the Wizards wasted no time making an offer to the All-Stat shooting guard, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports reports.

GM Tommy Sheppard told FortyEightMinutes and other reporters last month that the organization would offer Beal the extension as soon as they could.

Beal is eligible to tack on four years and $181 million to his current deal if he signs it before the end of the season. However, he can wait until July (when he is a free agent) and sign a new contract, worth an estimated five-year and $242 million.

Washington and Beal remain aligned in terms of him being the team’s franchise player and they have no plans to trade him regardless of whether he signs the extension now or opts to become a free agent next summer.

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New Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma sees some similarities between Bradley Beal and his old teammates, LeBron James and Anthony Davis. “He makes the right play and that’s really important for winning basketball,” Kuzma told FortyEightMinutes and other media earlier in the week). ” I see it all the time, especially playing with LeBron and AD, if they wanted to they could come down the court and score every single time if they wanted to. But understanding your teammates and whatever the right play is in front of you, that’s the most important thing. And he does that.”
From his Team USA experience, Beal learned the importance of recruiting, Kevin Brown of NBC Sports Washington relays. “In order to win and compete, you got to pick up that phone. I learned that on Team USA, honestly,” Beal said in a conversation with NBC Sports Washington Wizards Insider Chris Miller. “I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t breathe without someone asking me what I wanted to do this summer. Would I play with that person.”
Coach Wes Unseld Jr. says the Wizards will play less switch defense this upcoming season, something the Wizards relied on heavily over these past few seasons with little success. “I think it’s just more schematic choice,” Unseld Jr. said. “I’ve had some great success doing things a certain way. Other teams do it and they’re very good at it. I think there’s a place for it and there are times where we are going to do that. It kind of goes back to making sure we lay the foundation and then adjust accordingly.”