Washington Wizards took a major blow to their preparation for the upcoming season after shooting guard Bradley Beal sustained a fractured left wrist.
Beal, who averaged 17.1 points to go along with 3.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists in his sophomore season, hurt his left wrist during their 99-86 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.
MRI revealed on Saturday that Beal sustained a non-displaced fracture of the scaphoid bone in his left wrist. He will undergo surgery, which will force him to sit out for eight weeks.
With Beal out, the Wizards will start the season with a depleted roster after forward Kris Humphries was also ruled out for a month after sustaining nerve damage in his finger, while Martell Webster remains out with a back injury.
But despite losing Beal for the first part of the 2014-15 NBA season, J Michael of CSN Washington said that the Wizards are not expected to make drastic roster changes contrary to previous speculation.
"Beal isn't out for half of the season, and after talking with persons with knowledge of the situation, they aren't going to make a knee-jerk reaction," Michael said. "They're going to give the guys they have now a chance. And the truth is regarding free agency, there aren't many quality free agents out there."
Michael added, though, that the Wizards remain very interested in acquiring Ray Allen, but he pointed out that Washington will continue making a strong push to acquire the sharp-shooting guard even if Beal did not get injured.
"The Wizards are not going to lock themselves into anything with long-term consequences for what's a short-term predicament with Beal," Michael added. "Allen could decide after the season starts and surveying the landscape where he wants to play. Or someone of quality who is not available now can be released or put on the market."
Allen, who averaged 9.6 points and 2.8 rebounds per game with the Miami Heat last season, is being pursued by several teams, including the Wizards, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Previous reports indicated that the Cavaliers are favored to land the 39-year-old veteran, but his camp has already denied that they are leaning towards signing with Cleveland, reiterating that Allen has yet to make a decision on whether or not to continue playing next season.
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