Could Bradley Beal be the most sought-after guard in free agency?

The Washington Wizards will have two important tasks this offseason. First, they will have to find the best player available with the 10th pick in this year’s draft. And second, they will have to convince guard Bradley Beal to sign a contract extension, assuming he opts out of his player option.

If Beal opts out of his current contract, he can sign up to a five-year, $245-ish million contract with the Wizards, or a four-year $180-ish million contract with another team. That doesn’t mean that Beal is signing for those absolute amounts with his next deal, but I’m sure it would be awfully close. Contracts can be signed as early as July.

Mike DePrisco of NBC Sports Washington released some NBA free agent player rankings for this offseason and listed Beal as the No. 2 ranked free agent, right behind Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving, who could opt out of his current deal, and just ahead of Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden, who could do the same with his.

Let’s say that Irving and Harden re-sign with their current teams without much drama. After all, the Nets (if Irving played the entire season) and 76ers are playoff-caliber teams. That could make Beal the most sought-after guard, if not player in free agency. The Wizards are trying to be a playoff-caliber team, but they don’t seem to have the talent, even after the addition of Kristaps Porzingis. Beal has also regressed as a shooter in the past several seasons, but could rebound with a pass-first point guard. And there are plenty of Beal trade proposals on social media.

If Beal becomes the most sought-after guard in free agency this summer, would you still sign and keep him on the Wizards if you are General Manager Tommy Sheppard? Let us know in the comments.