Bradley Beal said recent trade rumors are a sign of respect; wants to play with John Wall still

As you’ve heard and read most likely, Washington Wizards’ guard Bradley Beal has come up AGAIN in trade rumors. This time with the Brooklyn Nets.

It was reported that Stefon Bondy of The New York Daily News mentioned the Nets internally discussed the Wizards’ star guard. I mean what else is knew. A hot commodity and star player like Beal on a team that seems to be going nowhere could really strike the interest of any team really.

Normally when trade rumors surface, Beal just brushes it off and maintains his stand that with the Wizards is where he wants to be. This time was different and he gave a positive response amid a time when sports hasn’t returned as of yet (although a late-July return of the NBA season is imminent).

After speaking with Jackie MacMullan of ESPN, Beal mentioned that hearing this kind of talk [trade rumors] wasn’t new to him and saw it as a sign of respect and that other players want to play with him.

“That’s an unbelievable feeling. When you hear that Kyrie [Irving] and KD [Kevin Durant] want you, s---, that’s amazing. At the same time, you don’t know how much there is to it, or how easy it would be to do. And 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. But I’d be naive to say that I don’t think about it when these stories come up.”

What better answer to give than this? He doesn’t stray away from the rumors that’s going around and instead acknowledges them and maintains his stance while also keeping it honest that being traded doesn’t slip his mind when it’s brought up. Beal is definitely a class act.

Plus with John Wall returning next season, we all can’t wait to see them both returning to the backcourt. And neither can Beal.

“My biggest thing right now is that I want to play with John again,” Beal said. “I want to see him get back to that level where I know he can be, especially since my game has grown so much [while he’s been out]. What can we accomplish together? I’m so happy he’s healthy, working his tail off.”

So all in all, Beal respects the fact his name is circling around, but let’s be clear he will continue to Rep the District today, tomorrow, and going forward.