Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal will undergo surgery to repair a torn scapholunate ligament of his left wrist and will miss the remainder of the regular season.
The decision to proceed with the surgery was mutually agreed upon by the team, Beal and his representation after a re-evaluation today by Hand Specialist Dr. Michele Carlson of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and the Wizards medical team.
“Despite the last 10 days of getting intensive treatment and rehab on my wrist, it became clear that I would not be able to compete to my standards or to the level that our team and our fans deserve,” said Beal. “I’m disappointed to have my season end this way, but we all agreed that this was the best decision. I look forward to coming back at 100% and continuing to lead this team as we work together to build toward the future.”
Per the Washington Times, “now, Beal will focus on rehab in the coming months. But he‘ll have a gigantic decision to make this summer as the three-time All-Star can opt out of his contract to reach free agency. The Wizards can offer Beal a five-year contract worth $241 million, though there’s no guarantee that Beal would accept. Beal has long said he wants to stay in Washington, but a recent report from The Athletic indicated that the 28-year-old “remains uncertain” whether the Wizards’ front office can surround him with enough talent to seriously compete in the long run.”
The injury, which Beal suffered at the 7:47 mark of the third quarter at Memphis on January 29, was originally revealed following examination and testing by Wizards Head Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. William Postma and Hand Specialist Dr. Curtis Henn of MedStar Health in conjunction with Dr. Carlson and Monumental Basketball Chief of Athlete Care & Performance Dr. Daniel Medina.
The three-time All-Star averaged 23.2 points, a career-high 6.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 40 games this season.
