Bradley Beal has helped lead the Washington Wizards to a 5-1 start, which is the team's best record since the 2005-06 season. Beal reiterated postgame that Washington is where he wants to be by saying, “I want to win with D.C.”

Beal's future with the Wizards has been under speculation for several years now. Despite Beal continually stating he has no desire to leave Washington, the team's average records make many believe he'll eventually ask for a trade.

Following their double-overtime victory over the Boston Celtics, Beal said he's been telling his teammates, “You can be part of a lot of history here.” Beal also said that the Wizards have played like "crap" on offense. Beal said, "It's going to be scary", when Washington gels and everyone gets healthy.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have exercised the fourth-year (2022-23) contract options on Darius Garland and Dylan Windler and the third-year (2022-23) option on Isaac Okoro.

Garland (6-1, 186) was the No. 5 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by Cleveland and owns career averages of 14.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 0.95 steals in 31.9 minutes over 117 career games (113 starts) with the team. Last season, the Vanderbilt product received three votes for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award after recording career highs in points (17.4), rebounds (2.4), assists (6.1, 18th in NBA), steals (1.22), minutes (33.1), field goal percentage (.451) and three-point percentage (.395). Additionally, Garland was one of only four players in the entire NBA to post at least 17.0 points, 6.0 assists, a .390 clip from three and a .840 mark from the foul line in 2020-21, joining Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving and Kyle Lowry. He became the quickest in franchise history to reach 200 career three-pointers (107 games), achieving that mark with his fourth trey in a win over Chicago on April 21. So far this season, Garland is handing out a career-best 9.0 assists per game, which ranks third in the NBA, while also averaging 14.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 30.8 minutes per contest.

Windler (6-6, 199) was selected as the 26th overall pick by the Cavaliers during the 2019 NBA Draft after a four-year career at Belmont. He has appeared in 34 career games with the Cavaliers, holding averages of 4.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in 15.2 minutes. Last season, he averaged 5.2 points and 3.5 rebounds in 16.5 minutes over 31 games after missing his entire rookie campaign in 2019-20 due to a left lower leg stress reaction. From Dec. 23 to Feb. 24, Windler led the Cavs in three-point percentage at .418 (23-55) and had a stretch of nine consecutive three-pointers made without a miss (Feb. 23-24), becoming the first Cavs rookie to accomplish that feat in 20 years and was the longest by any Cavs player since Kyrie Irving in 2015.

Okoro (6-5, 225), the No. 5 pick by the Cavaliers out of Auburn in the 2020 NBA Draft, is averaging 9.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.90 steals in 32.1 minutes over 71 career games with the team. An NBA All-Rookie Second Team selection last season, Okoro (646 points, 62 three-pointers, 62 steals, 24 blocks) became just the third rookie in franchise history to record at least 500 points, 50 threes, 50 steals and 20 blocks in a single season, joining LeBron James (2003-04) and Kyrie Irving (2011-12). 

The Milwaukee Bucks will visit the White House on November 6 to celebrate their 2021 NBA title. The Bucks will meet with President of the United States Joe Biden in a ceremony honoring their championship.

Milwaukee will be the first NBA team to travel to the White House since 2016.

The Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns in six games to win the 2021 NBA Finals. Giannis Antetokounmpo won Finals MVP after averaging 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the series.

Near the end of the Brooklyn Nets victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday, Kevin Durant threw the ball into the stands. Per NBA rules, any player who intentionally throws or kicks the ball in the stands with force should be ejected from the game. Durant was not ejected, and was allowed to finish the Nets victory.

Following the game, crew chief Sean Wright said that during live action, the officials did not think Durant threw the ball in the stands with force. After later seeing a replay, Wright said Durant did throw the ball into the crowd with force and should have been ejected.

Rick Carlisle let the officials know during the game that he believed Durant should have been tossed. Wright was asked about Carlisle's complaint that Durant was not ejected and said, "He made mention of it."

Julius Randle of the New York Knicks was recently fined $15,000 for intentionally throwing the ball in the stands, following a Knicks victory.

Goran Dragic was a DNP-CD in the Toronto Raptors' victory over the Indiana Pacers. Dragic has also been allotted less than 15 minutes of playing time in three of Toronto's first four games.

Despite the limited playing time, nothing has changed in Dragic's potential for a buyout.

Dragic is earning $19.4 million in the final season of his contract and the Raptors continue to be hopeful a trade market for him will materialize. 

The Philadelphia 76ers have exercised the fourth-year contract option for Matisse Thybulle and the third-year contract option for Tyrese Maxey, both set to take effect for the 22-23 season.

Thybulle, who is in his third NBA season, was selected by Boston with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft before Philadelphia acquired his rights in a trade. For his career, Thybulle has appeared in 135 games (22 starts), tallying 4.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 19.9 minutes per game. Thybulle’s 209 career steals rank sixth in the NBA since his rookie season. Over his two-plus NBA seasons, Thybulle has 31 games with at least three steals, a mark that is tied for the third-most in the league during that span. Last season, he was the only player in the NBA to have at least 100 steals and 70 blocks in less than 1,300 minutes played.

Maxey, now in his second season, holds career averages of 8.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 16.7 minutes per contest in 63 games (13 starts). Maxey posted a career-high 39 points, along with seven rebounds and eight assists against Denver last season. At the time, Maxey was the first rookie since 2019 to post a 35-5-5 performance in a single game and became just the second 76er rookie to post such numbers in a game.

The Charlotte Hornets and Miles Bridges were unable to agree to an extension prior to the deadline and he will become a restricted free agent in the offseason. Bridges has so far had a breakout season as one of the NBA's better young wings.

Mikal Bridges signed a four-year, $90 million extension with the Phoenix Suns.

"When he was in negotiations for his extensions a couple of weeks ago, I'm told the Hornets' baseline offer was four years, $60 million," said Brian Windhorst. "Which is $15 million per year. If you look at what Mikal Bridges, which we've compared him to during his career, got... which some people in the league feel is an overpay."

"I think he would have gotten it from somebody next summer," said Tim MacMahon.

"Obviously once that deal is signed, [Miles] cannot sign for $30 million less. We can debate on where they were."

Based on how Miles Bridges has played to start the season, he will be in line for a contract closer to what Mikal Bridges signed as opposed to Charlotte's extension offer.

Atlanta Hawks star guard Trae Young stopped his criticism of NBA officiating before he got fined. Before he did, Young made it clear the new points of emphasis on foul drawing have him frustrated.

"There's a lot of missed calls," Young said. "It's basketball. It's just, it feels that they're learning, and they're just -- I don't know. It's frustrating."

Young added, "I don't want to get fined too much, but it's frustrating."

The Hawks star also said he's seen other All-Stars like Devin Booker, James Harden and Damian Lillard impacted by this new way of officiating.

"I saw James said it's about him, but it's not targeting just one player or two players," Young said. "You can watch basketball. Damian Lillard's never averaged 17 points probably since his rookie year. There's a couple guys. I mean, Book's averaging 18. There's a lot of things that, when guys are driving straight and guys are getting knocked off balance -- it's still a foul, whether they're using their lower body or their hands."

Young finished up by saying he supports most of the new emphasis.

"Veering back and jumping into guys -- that's different," he said. "There are certain things that, I agree with the rule changes, but then there's things that are still fouls, and guys are going to get hurt. Especially a smaller guy like me who's going up against bigger and stronger defenders, they're using their body and they're using their legs and their hands to stop me."

Ime Udoka didn't mince words when talking about the Boston Celtics lack of intensity and focus during their loss against the Washington Wizards. Udoka said the problems started at shootaround early on Wednesday morning.

The first-year head coach said, "Our intensity and focus wasn't there from the start. It was like that at shootaround and I got on the guys for it then. And then it carried over into the game."

"I told the guys this morning if they play tonight with this intensity and focus, they'd get their asses kicked. And for three quarters that's what happened", Udoka added.

A visibly disappointed Al Horford echoed his coach's sentiments postgame. The veteran big man said, "We need to be committed to preparing and working before the games. We have to be better at that."

As for the cause of the effort and intensity issues, Udoka, Horford, Dennis Schroder and Jayson Tatum didn't have any answers. All recognized that it needs to change if Boston is to reach their potential.

The Los Angeles Lakers had a complete collapse against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. For the first time in franchise history, the Lakers lost a game after holding a lead of 25 points or greater. The frustration of the blown lead boiled over at the end of the game.

With the game in hand, Thunder forward Darius Bazley stole an inbounds pass with three seconds to play. After Bazley dunked the ball, Lakers guard Russell Westbrook made it clear he didn't like Bazley showing up the Lakers. Westbrook received a second technical foul and was ejected for going after Bazley following the play.

Postgame, Westbrook said, “It is what it is. I don’t think I should have gotten the first tech … If the last one was a tech, that’s cool. But, just how I play the game — I’m old school. When shit like that happens, I don’t let it slide. I’ll take it on the chin and move on.”

The former Thunder guard added, “But in the game of basketball, there’s just certain things you don’t do. Like in baseball, you don’t flip the bat. There’s certain things you just don’t do in sports. Game’s already over. And I didn’t like it, simple as that.”

Prior to the ejection, Westbrook had put up a triple-double, but also turned the ball over 10 times.