Ashooh: Don't Bet On Bradley Beal Leaving Washington

The NBA, like many areas of life these days, is full of extremes. NBA Twitter has given us a whole new world of instant reactions and opinions that essentially boil down to the obvious -- there's always someone upset over something.

For one, we've gotten into an extreme world of player movement where stars are changing their minds after a year on where they want to play. Plenty of fans hate it, and desperately long for the days of "loyalty" in sports, where the best players stayed their entire career in one city, hoping the front office would put together a true contender.

Then there's the side comprised of ring counters, where the number of titles has to be at the very top of the resume for a player's legacy to be legit in these people's minds.

So for a number of players, the decision becomes -- do you stay with one team even if they can't build a winner around you, risking missed opportunities to maximize your career? Or do you jump ship and find an organization that's more aggressive, but risk the public backlash from angry mobs on social media trying to tear down your legitimacy as a star?

Players can say they don't care, but they do. The reality is that this whole notion of loyalty doesn't really exist in sports anyway. It may be an ingredient in a player's decision, but there's always other factors that are mixed in.

Winning Isn't Always First

For every LeBron James and Kevin Durant, there's a Bradley Beal or Damian Lillard. For Beal at the moment, his future once again is the center of the NBA offseason.

With a chance to stay in Washington, the only NBA home he's known, either picking up his option and then taking an extension, or opting out and signing for a five-year max deal worth $248M gives some pretty lucrative choices. Beal won't be worried about money, that's for certain.

He constantly pushes the narrative that he wants to win and that it will factor into his decision. He's said it in the past, and he's been saying it again this spring and summer. The problem is, he's been in Washington for a decade, knows the inner workings of the franchise, and can try to speak it into existence all he wants.

The reality is the Wizards are nothing more than a mediocre franchise at best, with a lack of true dedication to do what it takes to build a real winner. Retooling on the fly doesn't cut it in the NBA, and that's the only blueprint they follow.

The goal for years has been nothing more than rolling out a middle-of-the-pack roster aimed at just keeping fans' playoff hopes alive long enough before letting them down in a yearly tradition of ineptitude. They've shown no sign of true commitment to winning a championship, and Beal is smart enough to see that by now.

In fact, since Beal was drafted in 2012, the Wizards have only made the playoffs five times, getting past the first round only three of those years. On top of that, since John Wall's Wizards career was slowed by major injuries starting in late 2018, the Beal-led Wizards have won exactly one playoff game. The promise of a talented young backcourt dealt some unfortunate cards has turned into desperately clinging to a past goal no longer achievable.

There's a reason why the Wizards are the favorite to re-sign Beal at -170, and that's because it's his likely decision. Chase the bag again, get paid, and stay where he's comfortable. Nothing wrong with that. I'll never rip a player for maximizing their income. I'll also never have a problem with someone like Durant or LeBron finding a better place to build their legacy. The Heat (+600 to land Beal), Hawks (+750) and Lakers (+900) follow the Wiz, but don't waste your money on any of those teams at this point.

Washington offers a great life for Beal, and no one should blame him for chasing that. He's a fixture in the community and a teammate everyone in the NBA would love to have, and he takes his family into account when making these big life decisions. Good for him.

Just don't try and convince the public your decision is based on winning when it's clearly not at the top of the priorities list. It'll be a shame to see Beal waste his prime years with a stagnant franchise, but, hey, at least he'll be loyal, right?

Plenty of players over the years have been willing to sacrifice that bigger payday at the peak, or just past the primes of their careers for a chance at a fresh start and real shot at true lasting success in the league. Beal keeps talking about his belief he can win a title in Washington. But, trust me, having covered the team for years in my D.C. media days, it's not happening.

It's the right thing to say out loud, but once he takes the big payday, he loses all credibility when the inevitable stay in NBA purgatory continues with the mediocre Wizards.

Actions speak louder than words, and unless Beal pulls a shocking 180 and pursues other chapters for his career, he'll continue to languish in the same frustrating situation he has his entire career.