Did Washington guard Bradley Beal consider Heat before signing extension? He answers

Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal - one of the players the Heat has coveted in trade machinations this year and was eyeing in free agency down the road -indicated Friday that he believes the Heat is one of the best run organizations in the NBA.

But that high regard for the Heat ultimately wasn’t enough to compel him to bypass a two-year, $72 million contract extension that he signed with the Wizards in October. The Heat was prepared to pursue Beal - among others - in 2021 free agency if he hadn’t signed that extension.

In an interview with The Miami Herald at his locker after the Heat’s home win against Washington on Friday, Beal was asked if he considered a potential future with the Heat before signing that contract extension with the Wizards that binds him to Washington through 2021-22, with a player option for 2022-23.

“Yes and no,” Beal said. “I’ve heard it but I didn’t really sit and really dissect everything. It was more or less trying to figure out what I was wanted to do here, what our situation was here because everything was up in the air, in a cloud, so I couldn’t make a decision based off uncertainty or make a rash decision just because it was a little cloudy.

“Once everything cleared up, we got our GM [Tommy Sheppard], we got our staff. We were able to sit down and discuss our future. That’s why I’m still here.

“It [the Heat] was a consideration but it wasn’t like, ‘Oh man, it’s like one of my destinations.’ It was noise I was hearing.”

Was the Heat a consideration before his decision to sign an extension because of that noise surrounding the Heat or because he has great respect for the Heat?

“It’s both; it’s both,” Beal said. “This [Heat] organization is by far one of the best run in the league. What you hear from Pat Riley on down, from how coach Spo [Erik Spoelstra] is one of the best coaches in the league. You see the high character guys who come in and out. Having several championships here. It’s a championship caliber organization so you have to respect it.”

Beal, congenial and accommodating by nature, smiled when I mentioned perhaps he could end up here one day, though I would read nothing into that smile.

For now, he’s committed to Washington. Miami likely has addressed shooting guard longterm with Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn, though I would by no means rule out a future pursuit of Beal or Indiana guard/potential 2021 free agent Victor Oladipo.

When free agency comes in 2021, the Heat is expected to target Milwaukee forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, with Oladipo among others also expected to be on Miami’s radar.

But a Beal-to-Miami scenario will remain a possibility as long as he’s playing at a high level and because of the Heat’s high regard for him.

If he grows unhappy with the Wizards’ rebuilding program - and to this point, he has not - he could ask for a trade next season, and Miami assuredly would explore it, though giving up Herro would be very, very difficult if Herro continues to play as well as he has the past two games.

Because of Jimmy Butler’s ball-handling skills and Herro’s improvement in that area, a Butler/Beal/Herro wing trio could work.

The earliest Beal can become a free agent is the summer of 2022, if he bypasses a $37.3 million player option for 2022-23.

He’s earning $27.1 million this season and will make $28.8 million next season and $34.5 million in 2021-22.

Before he signed the contract extension, every tweet by Beal - whether it had to do with his alma mater UF or music or any other topic - was followed by tweets from Heat fans imploring him to come to the Heat.

Do those types of comments help or hurt the Heat’s chances or have no impact?

“It’s interesting,” Beal said. “I embrace it in a way because it’s a sign people want me and you’re good in a way. I regard it as high respect and I am appreciative of it. But I don’t give it all my energy and I don’t let it concern me.”

Beal, 26, ranks fifth in the NBA in scoring at 28.0 points per game to go with 7.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds, while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 34.3 percent on three-pointers.

Beal has played more minutes than any other NBA player in the last two regular seasons and was the only player to have started all 82 games in both of those seasons. This season, he has started all 22 games for the Wizards, who are 8-15.

Here’s my Monday Dolphins piece explaining why Taco Charlton was a healthy scratch Sunday and lots of other personnel notes.

Here’s my Monday Dolphins piece on where things stand with rookie third-round pick Michael Deiter, who was removed from the starting lineup Sunday.