The Washington Wizards are in no rush to extend Bradley Beal despite his desire to earn a max contract, although that might end up being costly for them.
The Wizards prefer dealing with Beal when he hits restricted free agency. The RFA situation often gives teams the leverage, having a shot at knowing what their player is worth on the market. It does however risk antagonizing a player, making him sign a one-year tender and leaving in free agency, but it seems the Wizards aren’t sold on Beal being worth that much out of their cap space.
Beal averaged 15.3 points per game last season, falling a little bit in most scoring metrics. He is hitting his 3-pointers at more than 40% but his overall shooting isn’t that hot (42.7% from the field), and his injuries (missing 19 games last season, 26 his rookie year) are also a reason for concern.
Beal and John all do create one of the more fun to watch backcourts in the NBA, but there’s no comparing the two in terms of importance to the franchise. Beal might still get paid like he’s hoping for, but the Wizards want to evaluate his contribution and value in the upcoming season, which makes sense with a borderline max player like him, although the term has been stretched quite a bit over the last couple of seasons.