Stories of bickering in Washington, D.C., are commonplace, but when it happens in the Wizards’ backcourt, that’s a cause for concern.
Point guard John Wall and shooting guard Bradley Beal have started airing their disagreements in public, with Wall saying they have “a tendency to dislike each other on the court” and Beal responding that he and Wall “lose sight of the fact that we need each other.”
That’s not how you want your starting backcourt to talk about each other, especially when they are the cornerstones of your rebuilding effort after a disappointing 41-41 season that left you out of the playoffs and prompted a coaching change. Scott Brooks had to be hoping that his time on the Wizards’ bench would start with more team unity.
Star players failing to get along is nothing new in the NBA, but the situation frequently leads to a breakup. The most recent case was in Chicago, where rumors kept floating last season of unhappiness between Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler. That was resolved in June when Rose was traded to the Knicks.
Wall, who turns 26 next month, has been an All-Star the past three years. He is coming off career-high averages of 19.9 points and 10.2 assists last season. He has three seasons and more than $54MM left on a maximum extension he agreed to in 2013. Beal averaged a career-high 17.4 points per game last season and shot a career-best 45% from the field. However, he played in a career-low 55 games and was placed on a minutes restriction in December after doctors discovered “the beginnings of a stress reaction in his lower right fibula.” Beal re-signed with the Wizards last month for $127MM over the next five seasons.
That brings us to tonight’s question: If the Wizards decide to break up their backcourt, should they trade Wall or Beal? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the topic. We look forward to what you have to say.
I think obviously beal is the one that SHOULD be moved and I think the Wiz know that. The problem is that not many people would gamble on a contract like beal’s unless he comes out the gates firing. All wiz fans know that this probably won’t happen. The more moveable piece is sadly Wall. Many teams I imagine would would be interested but the problem is getting the same value in return. But if the situation gets too bad in DC which I don’t think it will but if so then the wiz might not have too much of a choice when picking trade partners. The main problem here is that beal just wants the ball and Wall wants beal to hit more of his shots and stay on the court. I think the love is real, there is no real ‘hate’. Sometimes I hated playing with my backcourt mate in high school. We played with each other in the same backcourt for 6-7 years. Doesn’t mean he still wasn’t my boy and I wouldn’t pick him over anyone to be on my team. This story is kind of overblown but to answer the question without a question the wiz should move beal but wall is the more moveable piece.
package wall and some picks n stuff for westbrook?
They should trade Wall because he is more talented and has a more reasonable contract than Beal who would be much harder or even impossible to trade because of his contract, his inability to stay healthy for a full year and his limited game. Of course trading Wall would set back this franchise for at least 5 years and it would serve
them right for giving this one-dimensional player such a ridiculous contract.