It is no secret that Bradley Beal is one of the premier shooting guards in the NBA. It is also no secret that the Washington Wizards’ playoff chances are directly correlated to how well the All-Star shooting guard performs. Unfortunately for Washington, they are going to need the supporting cast to step up in a major way. At least for a week. Bradley Beal suffered a low-grade left hamstring strain which was revealed by an MRI, the Wizards announced on Thursday. The injury occurred in a game on December 27th where the Wizards upset the Philadelphia 76ers. With the team sitting at 11th in the Eastern Conference, but with aspirations to at least make the play-in tournament, Washington will need Beal back as soon as possible.
Washington Wizards Shooting Guard, Bradley Beal, Out At Least One Week With Hamstring Strain
Bradley Beal’s Season So Far
Bradley Beal is a three-time All-Star for a reason. He is proving it again this year with an impressive campaign. While he did not make the All-Star Game last year, that does not take away from his talent. So far this season, Beal is tallying 22.9 points, 1.0 steal, and 5.2 assists per game. He is doing this while averaging an effective field goal percentage of 57.1 percent. Not to mention, he is also averaging career-highs in player efficiency rating (21.0), block percentage (1.5 percent), and offensive rating (117). It should be noted the only other time Beal finished with a 117 offensive rating was back in the 2016-17 season, a time when the one-time All-NBA Team member was beginning to enter his prime.
Has this been Bradley Beal’s best season of his career? Of course not. Could the Wizards be in a better position right now? Absolutely. However, Beal has been the furthest thing from Washington’s problems. One look at his current numbers on the season tells you that Beal is still doing everything he can to help the Wizards succeed. With that in mind though, it does lead to one burning question that has been constantly asked for years now.
Will Beal Be Traded?
Even with signing an extension and Beal’s continued loyalty to the Wizards, the question of the NBA Trade Deadline always seems to be “will Bradley Beal get traded?” It is a question worth asking if Washington free-falls during this stretch while Beal tries to recover from his hamstring injury. They do have a shot to make the play-in tournament if they keep at their current pace.
However, as we have seen with other teams such as the Warriors and the Suns, losing your best player for a long stretch does hurt your record in the long run. Per BetOnline, the Wizards have +50,000 odds to win the NBA Finals. Of course, the chances of the team going this far are slim to none. Still, each team likes a shot to at least sneak into the postseason. Even if it is via the play-in tournament. However, if the Wizards slip too much past the point of even having play-in tournament aspirations, a Bradley Beal trade may finally occur this season.
