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NBA

NBA Free Agency 2022: Bradley Beal signs $251 million contract to stay with Washington Wizards

Bradley Beal is staying with the Washington Wizards after signing a five-year $251 million contract with the team, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Update:
Bradley Beal is staying with the Washington Wizards after signing a five-year $251 million contract with the team, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Patrick SmithAFP

The big numbers continue to roll in as NBA Free Agency 2022 tips off. This time, Bradley Beal inked a massive five-year, $251 million contract to stay with the Washington Wizards, who signed him on ten years ago as the third pick overall in the NBA Draft, per a report by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Beal opts out of contract’s final year

Beal had earlier opted out of the last year of his agreement with the Wizards to become an unrestricted free agent. Now he has a long-term commitment to the team for whom he has been playing since they acquired him straight out of the University of Florida in 2012. The supermax contract will give him $50.2 million a year.

The three-time NBA All-Star could have signed with another organization for four years for approximately $180 million, which would amount to $45 million a year. Beal had never publicly stated a desire to switch teams, although there was speculation that he would make a move in free agency.

The 29-year-old has racked up an average of 22.1 points, 4.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game in his ten-year tenure with the Wizards.

Beal records elite numbers

He averaged 30.5 points in the 2019-2020 season, then upped it to 31.3 the following year. However, surgery following a wrist injury and having to enter covid-19 protocols two times kept him sidelined last season, limiting his participation to only 40 contests.

Beal’s decision to stay with Washington may attract other star players who are in the market, which is vital if they wish to have better success than they have had in the past few years. The Wizards have not won a playoff series since 2017.