Bradley Beal had a lot to say about his former team’s potential move out of Washington D.C.
Wizards owner Ted Leonsis and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced plans to move both the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals to a new arena in Northern Virginia, completely leaving behind the District of Columbia.
The Phoenix Sun guard shared his thoughts on the Wizards move, calling out Leonsis.
“D.C., I’m here with you. I’m with you all. There is no moving to Virginia. What is that, [Wizards owner] Ted [Leonsis]?” Beal wrote as a part of his year-long diary with Andscape. “We love you to death. We understand what you want to do and are trying to do. But you can’t take the team out of D.C. It’s Chocolate City. As a league, we need it. It has to stay in D.C. now.”
Beal called out the potential monetary gain of moving the team, calling upon Washington mayor Muriel Bowser to make it work.
“The money? Listen, it’s out of my hands and out of my control. I ain’t got nothing to do with that,” Beal wrote. “Hopefully [Washington] mayor [Muriel] Bowser can work something out with you.”
Muriel announced plans to offer $500 million in financing for “a complete renovation and modernization” of Capital One Arena.
“This proposal represents our best and final offer and is the next step in partnering with Monumental Sports to breathe new life and vibrancy into the neighborhood and to keep the Washington Wizards and the Washington Capitals where they belong – in Washington, DC,” Muriel said in a statement.
The nonbinding agreement between Monumental Sports & Entertainment includes the construction of a $2 billion, 12-acre mixed-use complex in Alexandria’s Potomac Yard neighborhood in Virginia.
According to the Washington Post, the state would contribute $150 – $200 million in transportation improvements for the project and issue $1.4 billion in bonds through a newly created sports and entertainment authority.
The bonds are set to be repaid over 40 years, but the terms are still being negotiated.
“My commitment to you is we will do the right things in the right way to all the communities that we serve,” Leonsis said.
Monumental’s nonbinding agreement with Virginia still allows them to negotiate with D.C. to rehabilitate the Capital One Arena, which has been home to both the NBA and NHL teams since 1997.
Beal spent 10 seasons with Washington after being drafted third overall by the franchise in 2022 before being sent to the Suns as part of a three-team trade in June.
Though Beal is no longer associated with the franchise, he feels for the D.C. fans who will be disheartened by the move across the Potomac River, comparing it to how fans felt when the Washington Commanders moved to Maryland.
“It’s a tough thing. We just got to get everybody back to D.C. just rebuild RFK Stadium, rebuild Cap One. Keep it in the city,” Beal wrote.