Despite Bradley Beal's red-hot start to the season, the Washington Wizards will not sign the 22-year-old to an extension before Monday's deadline, TNT's David Aldridge reports.
Beal is reportedly seeking a max contract, and the team will "almost certainly" sign him to a deal when he becomes a restricted free agent next summer, but the Wizards hold reservations over Beal's health and have their cap flexibility to consider.
For what it's worth, CSN Washington's Jorge Castillo reports that the Wizards did offer Beal a contract worth something less than the max, but it didn't meet Beal's liking.
The factors surrounding Washington's decision don't necessarily concern Beal's performance. The fourth-year guard averaged 23.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in last season's playoff run, and holds career averages of 15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, three assists, and one steal over three seasons, while knocking down 40 percent of his long-range looks.
Beal has also elevated his play to start the 2015-16 campaign. He ranks fifth in scoring at 25.3 per contest, while also chipping in with career highs in shooting accuracy at 46.6 percent from the field and 50 percent from deep.
Were Beal's play the only consideration, the Wizards would likely jump to sign him to an extension prior to Monday's 11:59 p.m. ET deadline for players on the fourth year of their rookie deals.
Rather, the biggest factor for Washington likely concerns its cap situation in 2016, when Kevin Durant is set to become a free agent. The Wizards would have maximum cap room to sign Durant with or without an extension for Beal, but keeping him unsigned until next season puts Beal on the books for an $11-million cap hold rather than a concrete salary figure of $20 million.
That extra financial flexibility could come in handy in case the Wizards want to make other additions in the event that they sign a marquee free agent to a maximum contract.
The risk, however, is allowing Beal to hit restricted free agency. The team will certainly match any offer that Beal signs, but it opens up the remote possibility of Beal signing a one-year qualifying offer to become an unrestricted free agent in 2017. The difference for Beal would be signing a maximum contract (which is determined as a percentage of the salary cap) with the cap set for $107 million, or $90 million.
