'Best Option On The Table At The Time,' Says Wizards Star About Re-Signing

Bradley Beal locked down a five-year, $251 million deal from the Washington Wizards this past offseason, where many had expected him to take a chance elsewhere to compete for a ring and he has since explained why he decided to stay.

On the No Chill Gill podcast with former NBA star and Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas, Beal categorized it as a business decision while clarifying that it was not meant to be a shot against the organization's roster-building skills.

"There were no teams in the market, free agency-wise... There was nowhere else for me to go where I can be like, 'Oh, I can go win.' It was teams that strategically weren't what I wanted. So realistically, I wouldn't say my hand was forced, but this was my best decision and best option on the table at the time," Beal noted.

The Wizards committed to having Beal lead the team for the next five years with the acquisition of Will Barton and Monte Morris via trade–the latter appearing to fill Washington's hole at the point guard position.

Beal acknowledged these moves by mentioning that the roster he has now at the prime of his career is helping the Wizards "compete on a nightly basis" and that "everyone's able to be a star in their role."

The Wizards are currently treading water and are outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture one-third of the way through the season, but there are signs that they could crash the postseason.

For one, their record does not completely indicate how good this team can be once they start firing on all cylinders.

A backcourt of Beal and Morris complemented by Deni Avdija and veterans Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis alongside a bench led by emerging sharpshooter Corey Kispert and Rui Hachimura, Washington has something special on their hands.

Hachimura, and Beal to an extent, has been hampered by injury this season, but he is an extremely important contributor to how far they can go since the 2019-20 NBA All-Rookie member is only just 24 years old.

Beal also spoke highly of their young core and their potential and it appears that he is also committed to what the front office is building.

It would be one thing to expect them to win the title, but the more realistic perspective of things would be their success this season will likely dictate what caliber of free agents they can attract plus the consistency of winning may unlock something hidden inside them.

Granted, the Wizards still need to improve on their defense as they currently rank 12th in points allowed per game at 111.7 and let opponents put up 33.3 three-point attempts per game that convert about 37 percent of the time.

However, Washington's future is optimistically bright with Beal on the squad and eventually surrounding him with key pieces next summer could turn them into one of the dark horses in the Eastern Conference.