We are in an era where player empowerment is a constant. LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, and Paul George, to name a few, have all used their leverage well over the last few seasons, and it resulted in them being sent to preferred teams.

So, with that, perhaps along with the heavy influence of social media as well, a new name has emerged among those who might make a move: Washington Wizards All-Star guard Bradley Beal.

The high-scoring guard is now taking the route that many of the previously traded superstars have trailed. He has grown into an elite talent who’s sadly trapped in a team that’s constantly failing to produce results.

Ever since backcourt partner and co-star John Wall got sidelined in January 2019 due to a ruptured Achilles, Beal has reigned solo over the Wizards offense, and has definitely made the most out of it. He immediately had a 29-game stretch of averaging over 29 points per game after Wall went down, and continued firing away this season by reaching at 30.5 PPG prior to the COVID-19 hiatus.

Such productivity cannot be unnoticed, so when the Wizards continue to be a sub-.500 team (24-40 this season, ninth in the East), buzz about Beal’s skyrocketing value and him being the new apple of every general manager’s eyes began… something that the Wizards front office had foreseen and quickly countered.

Right before the 2019-20 season, Washington inked its star scorer to a two-year, $72-million extension to lock him in D.C. until 2023. As soon as rumblings about receiving trade offers spread, reporters were also informed that the team had no intention of trading Beal:

Here’s reporter David Aldridge addressing the hot rumour earlier this week:

“Wizards have zero interest in moving Beal, and certainly aren’t going to even think about doing so until he and Wall play together again for a season.”

Beal’s agent also clarified that “There are no Beal sweepstakes.”

“There are no Beal Sweepstakes and that’s why he re-signed with the Wizards … Brad re-signed with the Wizards because he wanted to stay in Washington and the Wizards wanted to keep him there.”

When news about the Brooklyn Nets aggressively targeting Beal started popping out, Beal himself chimed in. It was a pretty interesting rumor after all, since the Nets already have their own superstars: Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.

“It’s not the first time I’ve heard this kind of talk … It’s interesting. To me, I look at it as a sign of respect, that I’ve been doing good things and guys want to play with me.

“That’s an unbelievable feeling. When you hear that Kyrie [Irving] and [Kevin Durant] want you, s–t, that’s amazing. At the same time … I’ve put down roots in D.C. I’ve dedicated myself to this town, this community. I love it here, and it would feel great to know I could grind out winning here instead of jumping to another team.

We’ll soon see if Beal changes his tune. The next season will be vital as it will most probably dictate if he will keep believing in the Wizards’ future and the true potential of his tandem with Wall.

The duo made waves in the 2016-17 season by leading the team to a 49-33 record, which is still the franchise’s best since 1970. They also had an encouraging performance in the ensuing postseason as they reached the second round and went the full distance with the Boston Celtics before bowing out.

Unfortunately, Wall went on to have back-to-back shortened campaigns due to injuries, and left Beal to light up the scoreboard while collecting dozens of Ls.