NBA Trade Rumors: Bradley Beal Won't Be Dealt In 2019-2020, Signs Extension With Washington Wizards

The top trade target of teams around the league isn’t going anywhere during the 2019-2020 NBA season. Bradley Beal has signed a two-year, $72 million extension with the Washington Wizards, eliminating the possibility that he might be dealt before February’s trade deadline.

The new contract kicks in at the start of the 2021-2022 season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Beal has a player option for the 2022-2023 season and is guaranteed to make $130 million over the next four years.

Most notably, the extension means Beal isn’t allowed to be traded for the next six months. With the trade deadline only four months away, the shooting guard isn’t eligible to be dealt until the summer.

Even though Beal has been at the center of trade rumors since the early part of last season, no team has come close to acquiring him. Washington has been adamant about their plans to keep the 26-year-old in spite of speculation that he would be the next NBA star to be traded.

There have been rumors that the Miami Heat would target Beal. The team hasn’t been able to pair another star player alongside Jimmy Butler, failing to trade for Russell Westbrook during the summer.

The Los Angeles Clippers reportedly explored the idea of trading for Beal when Kawhi Leonard indicated to the team that he would only sign with them as a free agent if another star player was also on his way. Washington rebuffed Los Angeles, who ended up acquiring Paul George for a haul of draft picks.

There’s no guarantee that Beal will remain in Washington for the next several years. George was able to force his way out of Oklahoma City when he still had two years left on his contract.

Beal is coming off his best NBA season, making his second straight All-Star team and narrowly missing the All-NBA Third Team. The shooting guard averaged career-highs of 25.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists per game and 1.5 steals per game.