Bradley Beal's new five-year, $251 million contract with the Washington Wizards became official on Wednesday.
The guard declined his $36.4 million player option for the final season of his previous deal, locking up a long-term contract to remain in DC.
"Today represents such a special moment in my life," Beal said in a statement. "I could not be more grateful to have the opportunity to continue to partner with Ted, Tommy, Wes, and the entire organization in moving forward to achieve our dream of bringing championships to D.C."
Beal, who has long said he wanted to remain in D.C. with the franchise that drafted him No. 3 overall in the 2012 draft, re-committed himself to the rebuild in Washington, and along the way, has found himself a part of a very exclusive club.
Beal is the only active player with a true no-trade clause in his deal and is just the 10th all-time to have his contract structured that way.
Bradley Beal contract details
Beal's new deal with the Wizards will pay him a max of $251 million over five years.
$43.2
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) June 30, 2022
$46.7
$50.2
$53.6
$57.1 https://t.co/VcDBoVqlN0
Beal's average salary will pay him $43.2 in the first year of the deal starting in 2022-23.
According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, Beal's new contract includes a no-trade clause. No other player in the league currently has a "true" no-trade clause.
Beal becomes only the 10th player to have a no trade clause joining LeBron, KG, Melo, Dirk, Kobe, DWade, Duncan, David Robinson and John Stockton.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 6, 2022
The contract also has a 15% trade kicker and player option in year 5. https://t.co/NcUmDcyUMM
What is a true no-trade clause?
In the simplest terms possible, a no-trade clause means a player cannot be traded.
But, as is the case in the NBA, if you delve a little deeper, it's actually not that simple.
In Beal's case, he is the only player in the league with a true no-trade clause. Not even LeBron James, Stephen Curry or Giannis Antetokounmpo have this in their contracts, although LeBron did at one time.
A true no-trade clause essentially means that Beal has the opportunity to veto any and all trades during the life of the contract. In other words, he would have to personally agree to any deal before the Wizards could move him if the situation ever arises.
A true no-trade clause that spans the life of a contract can only be negotiated by a player who has been in the NBA for at least eight years and has spent at least four years with his current team — Beal qualifies, having spent all 10 of his NBA seasons with Washington.
Aside from James, the only other players in league history that have had the clause at one stage of their careers have been, Kevin Garnett, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, Tim Duncan, David Robinson and John Stockton.
As we mentioned, that is a 'true' no-trade clause but there are a number of players in the league that possess a no-trade clause.
Which players have a no-trade clause?
A 'regular' no-trade clause differs from the one that Beal has in that the criteria for this are a little more flexible, so to speak.
Players with this clause are able to veto a trade during a single league year, rather than the life of the contract as Beal is able to do.
This clause is available to players who sign with their previous team on a one-year contract – or a two-year deal with an option year, players that sign one-year qualifying offers after their rookie contracts expire, and players who sign offer sheets with another team, but have that deal matched by their original team all have veto power over trades during a single season.
This is a list of the players that had the power to veto a trade during this past NBA season.
- Lou Williams, Atlanta Hawks
- LaMarcus Aldridge, Brooklyn Nets
- Blake Griffin, Brooklyn Nets
- Bruce Brown Jr., Brooklyn Nets
- JaMychal Green, Denver Nuggets
- Austin Rivers, Denver Nuggets
- Frank Jackson, Detroit Pistons
- Cory Joseph, Detroit Pistons
- Rodney McGruder, Detroit Pistons
- Hamidou Diallo, Detroit Pistons
- Nicolas Batum, LA Clippers
- Udonis Haslem, Miami Heat
- Victor Oladipo, Miami Heat
- Dewayne Dedmon, Miami Heat
- Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
- Bobby Portis, Milwaukee Bucks
- Mike Muscala, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Frank Kaminsky, Phoenix Suns
- Abdel Nader, Phoenix Suns
- Raul Neto, Washington Wizards
