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Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal said it was “shocking” and a “hard pill to swallow” to see John Wall traded to the Houston Rockets for Russell Westbrook, but he believes he and Westbrook “will fit in well.”
Wall and Beal were teammates for the past eight seasons, but Wall hasn’t played in two years due to an Achilles tendon injury. The pair made the playoffs four times, but couldn’t get past the second round.
Beal said the two days since the exchange have been “emotional.”
“It was definitely a bit shocking and crazy watching the news the other day,” Beal said. “You understand what the basketball business is … It was a tough pill for me to swallow as well, but on the other hand, you look at it and see who we’re bringing in and the caliber of the player in Russ and what he is.” able to do it, former MVP, walk triple-double, he’s going to bring a spark to our team and an energy to our city. “
Westbrook, 32, comes to Washington with a reputation for wanting to win with all his might, in addition to his distinctive aggressive and offensive character on the court. Beal, who flourished in Wall’s absence and averaged 30.5 points and 6.1 assists last season, said he won’t accept any negative narratives about the difficulty of playing with Westbrook. Beal said he is excited to see what he can do with Westbrook.
“I think there are a lot of false narratives that people have about him,” said Beal, who also called Westbrook a great point guard. “So I won’t put any value on those things until I have some time with Russ on the court. I don’t think it’s anything he gets into and it’s like trying to run the show and just do everything himself. he realizes that it is a group effort. “
“I don’t think there is a problem,” Beal added. “The mere fact that I love to play ball a little more than in previous years may be the only [adjustment]but only he can differ [Paul George], refer it to [Kevin Durant], defer to James [Harden] sometimes it will be the same. “
Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard said switching to Wall, the franchise’s No. 1 pick overall in 2010, was the toughest decision he’s made in his nearly three decades in basketball. But he also said that Westbrook will help the Wizards “step a little faster” since Wall hasn’t played since Dec. 26, 2018.
“I felt it was my responsibility for the Wizards to improve and have the opportunity to acquire a player who is a nine-time All-NBA player,” said Sheppard, who began the virtual conference by saluting Wall for his impact on the franchise and the DC community. . “There are 28 people in history who have been All-NBA players at least nine times. There are four active NBA players: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook. Their résumé speaks for itself.”
Beal said he and Wall have had multiple conversations since the trade, including an emotional moment when Wall visited the Wizards’ facility one last time to say goodbye.
“I’m trying not to get excited right now,” Beal said of the moment. “It’s difficult because he’s a brother. You realize that the relationship was very strong, but it was crazy because a lot of people tried to separate us, a lot of people tried to separate us, put us against each other, and it was always crazy because when we met and we had Those conversations, it was the complete opposite of what everyone was doing and the rumors and the noise. “
