There are not a whole lot of former Florida basketball players in the NBA currently but lately a few familiar names have made the news, including one-and-done guard [autotag]Bradley Beal[/autotag], who recently signed a massive contract extension with the Washington Wizards.
The third overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft — second-highest only to the legendary Neal Walk and tied with current Boston Celtic Al Horford —spent his first 10 years in the nation’s capital and cemented his standing there with a five-year, $251 million contract that will likely lock him in for the remainder of his career.
Or will it? CBS Sports’ staff writer Brad Botkin put together a look at the NBA’s free agency action after the opening day, including Beal’s monster extension. Botkin is not quite so sure the contract will tether the prolific scorer to the shores of the Potomac, as he explains in his excerpt on the former Gator below.
I still bet he gets traded before that contract expires, but by signing with Washington, which owns his Bird rights, he guaranteed himself a fifth guaranteed year, which will equate to about $57 million extra in his bank. That goes with him even if he does get traded. I’d bet good money that Beal winds up having his cake and eating it too, eventually ending up on a contender while also signing the biggest deal possible.
[mm-video type=video id=01g5b72qw7zqp1fyfsw1 playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g5b72qw7zqp1fyfsw1/01g5b72qw7zqp1fyfsw1-08004c870c55a2646bf6e51f15c21fb8.jpg]
[lawrence-related id=86588,86326,86101,85794,85644]
[listicle id=47602]
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!