NBA Rumors: Wizards Set on Offering Bradley Beal a Max Deal

The Washington Wizards will not let Bradley Beal get away.

According to CBSSports.com's Ken Berger, the Wizards have been very clear that they will offer Beal a maximum deal. The only issue they have right now is how to retain Beal and still be able to offer competitive contracts to other free agents.

Berger wrote, "The Wizards have made it clear they are committed to signing Beal to the max, but the timing is everything from the standpoint of preserving cap room to chase free agents such as Kevin Durant in 2016."

Beal has three options this offseason. First, he qualifies for an extension off of his rookie contract. Second, if he and the Wizards do not agree on an extension, Beal will become a restricted free agent next summer assuming that the Wizards give him an qualifying offer. Third, Beal can sign his qualifying offer, worth $7.5 million and became an unrestricted free agent in 2017.

"I haven't thought about it," Beal said Monday. "I haven't talked to my agent about it.  I haven't talked to [General Manager] Ernie [Grunfeld] and those guys yet. I don't even think I'm allowed to. It's up in the air and I'm just sitting back and mourning this loss a little bit. And when the time comes, I'll sit down with my agent and discuss some things."

The 21-year-old added, "My goal this offseason is staying healthy. That's always what's set me back each year I've been here. So my biggest thing is just staying healthy, taking care of my body, getting stronger, but I think if I can put together a full season, I can be one of the elite players in this league."

"Brad, we've seen make that next step, really through the Atlanta series," Coach Randy Wittman said.  "It's one thing to be able to do it. But when you're asking him to do something at the offensive end, too, you don't know: Am I burning him at one end and is it costing us at the other? And I think he proved that wasn't the case. Chasing and defending a guy like [Kyle] Korver, a guy like, in the Toronto series, [DeMar] DeRozan, and still be able to put numbers up at the other end. So that's a great luxury. That was important to see."

Beal averaged 15.3 points with 3.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds during the regular season.