The NBA trade rumors are locking down on teams that have been labeled as disappointments and the Washington Wizards fall into the category.
They had their huge free agent signing but it was only to keep one of their own and pundits believe that they paid a huge price for Bradley Beal-even more than his $128 million contract.
John Wall has been (in)famous for his remarks about players' salary. While he is acknowledged as the top player for the Wizards, he's earning much less than his backcourt partner. Many believe that this would not sit well with him.
Read between the lines on Wall's statement as quoted by Ric Bucher in Bleacher Report.
"People always assumed why we weren't connecting," Wall says now. "People asked, 'Well, are you mad?' No, I'm not mad. I can't control the CBA. It's good timing for him. All I'm saying is let him earn it. I didn't deserve it until I went out and made the All-Star Game and then they said, 'All right, he earned it.' Let him earn it. I had to earn mine."
There are many ways to interpret the "let him earn it" line. Any way it's perceived, it's not the same as the "he deserves it" or "it's about time" line that is often tossed around if a teammate is truly in good spirits.
In an ESPN Insider preview, one of the experts on the panel, Jeremias Engelmann was quick to hit on Beal's contract.
"Beal's contract will be an albatross. It's a situation reminiscent of when these same Wizards signed Gilbert Arenas to a $111 million deal in 2008, only for it to almost instantly become one of the worst contracts in the NBA due to Arenas' various injury problems."
Being compared to Gilbert Arenas is not easy to accept. He was one of the main reasons why the NBA had the amnesty provision.
Engelmann also proposes that the Wizards trade Beal. "It's probably wishful thinking, but I want to see them try to trade Beal to get rid of that dreadful contract."
If the Wizards do try and trade Beal, one of the possible destinations could be the OKC Thunder. It's not a popular choice but the Thunder is desperate for another star as ESPN's Royce Young stated.
They would have to clear huge cap space but Thunder GM Sam Presti knows that he only has an additional year on Westbrook's leash. Right now, the Thunder has not had a consistent running mate for Westbrook, not even Victor Oladipo.
Beal could pair well with Westbrook-this time with Westbrook clearly the main man. The salary issues won't be there because Russ is on a max contract himself. If OKC realizes that Blake Griffin or any other major free agent is not coming, trading for Beal may be the only way.