Almost every year, much is made about Bradley Beal's future with the Wizards. As a young and valuable young star, fans have trouble believing that Beal would want to stick around in a place that has struggled so much over the past few years.
But in a report by NBA insider Marc Stein, Beal hasn't lost his loyalty to DC. In fact, he desires to be the Dirk Nowitzki of the Wizards.
I've heard a rumble or two in recent months from parties hopeful of luring Bradley Beal away from Washington that Beal is known for saying, in essence, that he wants to be the Dirk Nowitzki of the Wizards in terms of playing only for the franchise that drafted him No. 3 overall in 2012. In an interview last week with Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks, Beal stopped short of publicly promising to re-sign with Washington this summer but did strongly hint at it when he said: “If I feel like I can win in DC, that’s what I’m gonna do, and I want people to respect that." Beal, 28, can sign a five-year contract with the Wizards in the $250 million range this offseason after officially becoming an unrestricted free agent.