“Nonetheless, the Wizards close the Beal Era jaggedly, horribly,” The Athletic’s David Aldridge wrote. “Miami has clearly prioritized getting Damian Lillard from Portland, with Jimmy Butler a central part of the Heat’s recruiting pitch. While Washington wanted the multiple first-rounders the Heat were offering, it didn’t matter; Beal wanted to play in Phoenix. His wife and her family are from California, and K.D. and Booker are a smidge more potent offensively than Jimmy Buckets and Bam Adebayo. The Wizards couldn’t stay in a holding pattern; unwilling to wait on the Heat, they turned to Phoenix, which our Shams Charania first reported had gotten into the sweepstakes seriously on Saturday.”