The Washington Wizards can officially present a four-year, $181.5 million extension to Bradley Beal on Friday.

Beal previously signed a two-year, $72 million in October 2019.

Tommy Sheppard said in an interview earlier this month the team plans to offer the extension “at dawn.”

Beal, however, will take slightly more time to decide. 

“My biggest thing is getting us off going to a good start,” Beal said Monday, after noting the deal is for Sheppard, team owner Ted Leonsis and his agent Mark Bartelstein to figure out. “We worry about the contract money and all that later. I’ll let them deal with it when the time comes, for sure. I got all year to sign, too. So I’m not in a rush.”

Beal could stand to earn roughly $50 million more if he waits and chooses to become a free agent in 2022. Beal will by then have reached 10 years of service in the NBA and be eligible for a contract worth 35 percent of the salary cap.

Host Danny Leroux (@DannyLeroux), Nekias Duncan of The Dunker Spot podcast and BasketballNews (@NekiasNBA) and Mike Prada of Prada’s Pictures Substack (@MikePradaNBA) break down the NBA’s Southeast Division.

They discuss how the Heat, Wizards, Magic, Hornets and Hawks fared in the off-season, including which teams improved and what moves stood out. The three also predict the season to come, including projected finish, breakout players and rookies they are most excited to see.

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Bradley Beal has revealed that he is not vaccinated against COVID-19 though he declined to share why.

"Personal reasons," said Beal.

Beal contracted COVID-19 in July and was forced to skip the Olympics. Beal's chances of contracting COVID-19 increased by not being vaccinated.

"I would ask the question to those who are getting vaccinated 'why are you still getting COVID?'" said Beal. 

Beal doesn't believe his vaccination status will be a distraction.

"I don't think it will be. We're going to play basketball and do that at the highest level. We have protocols and things in place to make sure we're taken care of and tested regularly."

The Sacramento Kings were left "steaming" when the Los Angeles Lakers pivoted away from trade discussions centered on Buddy Hield and executed a deal for Russell Westbrook.

The Kings had no idea the Lakers were even competing for a Westbrook deal.

The parameters of the deal centered on Hield for Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell.

“I was kind of shocked because I thought I was going to Sac,” Kuzma recently said on the “No Chill with Gilbert Arenas” podcast. “The Sacramento deal, with Buddy Hield, that [expletive] was done.”

Following the Los Angeles Lakers' exit in the first round of the playoffs, the front office explored trading for stars such as Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook.

LeBron james set up a war room of his own at his house for some in-person player meetings while leading remote communications in other conversations. 

Those talks and others led the Lakers to the conclusion that Westbrook was the best solution. Westbrook came away expecting a trade to the Lakers, but the efforts were stymied by the Washington Wizards' refusal to make him available. 

“No one thought that Russ would get out,” said one source close to the discussions told The Athletic.

On the morning of the draft, Rob Pelinka decided he had no choice but to move on to their backup plan of Buddy Hield.

Westbrook heard the Lakers were ready to move on.

“That set Russ off,” one source said. “All he wanted, by any means, was to be a Laker.”

Westbrook then called Ted Leonsis for a personal favor of finding a way for him to be traded to the Lakers. 

“(Westbrook) took control of his situation,” one involved source said.

The Wizards softened their stance and Tommy Sheppard called Pelinka to initiate conversations that culminated in a trade.

Rui Hachimura is out indefinitely with an excused absence as the Washington Wizards begin training camp on Tuesday.

Hachimura will miss time due to an undisclosed personal reason. Hachimura is set to begin his second NBA season. 

Garrison Mathews has agreed to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal with the Boston Celtics.

Mathews spent his first two NBA season with the Washington Wizards.

Mathews went undrafted in 2019 out of Lipscomb.

The Los Angeles Clippers were casually linked to a Russell Westbrook trade in the past before he was eventually traded to the Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Lakers in each of the past two offseason. The interest in Westbrook has led some to speculate that they could trade for John Wall, who the Houston Rockets are attempting to move.

"The Clippers were never interested in Russell Westbrook," said Zach Lowe on his podcast. "They were a rumored Russell Westbrook trade in a few places whenever that happened. They were never interested. That was never a real thing. I think they value their optionality too much."

Lowe does not believe the Clippers are at all likely to trade for Wall.

Before Westbrook was traded to the Wizards during the 2020 offseason, Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer linked him to the Clippers.

A new report this offseason indicated that Westbrook reached out to Kawhi Leonard during the 2019 offseason about the possibility of teaming up with the Clippers before they eventually traded for Paul George instead. 

Host Danny Leroux (@DannyLeroux) and Arturo Galletti (@AmericanNumbers) break down the over/unders for the Eastern Conference.

They discuss the win total, division, conference and title odds as well as any pertinent individual award lines for the Magic (10:15), Pistons (17:03), Cavs (26:13), Wizards (33:59), Raptors (39:59),  Hornets (47:37), Knicks (52:45), Bulls (57:37), Pacers (1:04:55), Hawks (1:08:16), Celtics (1:12:54), Heat (1:19:50), 76ers (1:26:07), Bucks (1:34:12) and Nets (1:42:09).

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