Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal will miss the rest of the season due to surgery needed on his left wrist, the team announced on Tuesday.
The Wizards earlier this month said Beal was diagnosed with an injury to the scapholunate ligament and would be reevaluated in one week. That process revealed the need for surgery, confirmed to ESPN by Beal’s agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports.
Beal visited a hand specialist, Dr. Michele Carlson, at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, on Tuesday, along with 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,” Beal said. “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.”
Beal suffered the injury in the third quarter of the Wizards’ 115-95 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies last month.
Beal, a three-time All-Star, leads the Wizards with averages of 23.2 points and 6.6 assists per game this season. He is eligible to sign a five-year, $245 million contract with the Wizards this summer. Beal also has a $36.4 million player option on next season.
At 24-29, the Wizards are a game out of the postseason picture, one game behind the Atlanta Hawks, who own the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference.