Report: Wizards unwilling to offer Beal desired max extension

Bradley Beal cares not for the whims of his peers.

Beal, who can become a restricted free agent after the 2015-16 season, and the Washington Wizards remain at an impasse in contract negotiations, J. Michael of CSN Washington reports.

The main sticking point is that Beal is seeking a maximum contract extension, while the Wizards have little incentive to lock him up at that price right now. As Michael explains:

Bradley Beal has made it clear. He thinks he’s a max player, and that’s what he wants. I’ve talked to people on both sides all offseason about this. It seems to be Bradley Beal’s decision. The Wizards are willing to make him an offer an extension. But they’re not going to offer him the maximum extension right now simply because they don’t have to.

This isn't a new stance from either side, as reports last week suggested they weren't making much progress in discussions. League executives have long believed the 22-year-old Beal would command the max, but there are reasons for the Wizards to delay making things official, even though they intend to keep him.

There's always the risk that a player could suffer an injury - Beal has missed an average of 18 games in his three-year career - and the Wizards don't stand to gain a great deal by locking Beal up now without a discount. While the player would be happy, and it would prevent another team from signing him to a predatory offer sheet next summer, the Wizards would still have the right to match any offer and could slap the maximum qualifying offer on Beal, potentially giving other suitors pause.

The Wizards are also aware that delaying Beal's deal would leave them with additional salary cap flexibility next summer. Beal's cap hold as a restricted free agent would be $14.2 million, while a max contract would start at an estimated $20.9 million. Waiting until next summer to ink him to a max deal would give the team nearly $7 million in additional cap space during a summer in which they hope to make a play for free agent - and Washington native - Kevin Durant.

And the team may be trying to negotiate a deal lower than the max, because every dollar matters. Jonas Valanciunas and Michael-Kidd Gilchrist have set the market for rookie contract extensions earlier than anticipated, showing a willingness to forgo potential forays into max-contract territory in order to secure long-term security, but it doesn't sound as if Beal is aching to follow suit.

The No. 3 pick in the 2012 draft, Beal averaged 15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, three assists, and one steal over three seasons, knocking down 40 percent of his long-range looks.