This one is simple.
The Wizards, over the last two years, came to believe in Bradley Beal more than John Wall.
And they knew if they brought Wall back as if the last two years hadn’t happened, and it was 2017 again, and he once again had the rock, that Beal would push his way out of town. Maybe not this season; maybe, even, not next season, but inevitably, he’d be gone. And if they had to pick one or the other, it was going to be Beal — who toiled last season on a bad team and had a great season, playing well enough on a 25-win team to warrant serious all-NBA consideration. He’s 27. He’s in his prime. He’s become a leader. He’s worth trying to build a franchise around.
With the opportunity to make the best possible case to Beal to stay past the end of his current deal — by no means a guarantee, by the way; if you ask me the odds he’s still here in 2023, I’d still put them at 30-70 against — the…
