Beal miffed at questions about his future with Wizards

“If I wanted to leave, you guys would definitely hear and know that Beal wants to leave,” he said.

Since Beal hasn’t said anything to that effect, it appears he’s ready to stay the course in Washington — and the Wizards sound prepared to try to keep their trio of Beal, Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma together. That’s after a season in which Washington went 35-47 and missed the playoffs.

General manager Tommy Sheppard acknowledged what a disappointment the season was Monday, when he and several players met with reporters.

“I think Vegas preseason said we were going to win 35 games, we won 35 games. That’s disgusting to me,” Sheppard said. “I think internally we had much higher goals, but you can’t argue with your record. It is what it is. We’ve got to get better.”

Beal signed a max-value contract last offseason to stay with the Wizards, and while there was a feel-good element to that — he’s played his whole career in Washington — it was an intriguing move for both sides. Beal was choosing to stay with a team that hasn’t been a real title contender since before he was born, and it wasn’t clear if keeping him would be enough for the Wizards to challenge the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

This season, they didn’t even make the play-in round.

“I’m definitely frustrated,” Beal said. “I’m also at peace with where I am and who we are and what we need to do to be better. There’s nothing I can do. I can’t control it, and I’m not going to sit here and cuss everybody out. We know where we failed and how we got to get better. We have to do so.”

When asked if he expects to be back with the Wizards, he said he can’t foresee the future, but yes, he does.

“Y’all acting like y’all trying to kick me out of here,” Beal joked.

Perhaps the reason these questions persist is because Beal and the Wizards feel like outliers in today’s NBA. In a league where other teams embrace massive rebuilds that put them near the bottom of the standings — and the top of the draft — Washington is trying to build a mediocre team into a successful one without bottoming out.

And if anyone found it surprising that Beal stayed with the Wizards in the first place, it’s only natural for them to wonder if he might eventually ask for a trade if the team’s outlook doesn’t improve.

For now, though, Washington is hoping for better health from its biggest names. In Beal, Porzingis and Kuzma, the Wizards have three players who averaged over 21 points per game this season. No other team in the league can say that. But that trio played together only 35 times, and the team went 16-19 in those games.

Porzingis and Kuzma have player options for next season, and Sheppard said the goal is to re-sign both. The Wizards can also hope for some good luck in the draft lottery. After a season like this, it feels like Washington might need a break or two to make real progress.

The Minnesota Timberwolves suspended center Rudy Gobert for their play-in game against the Los Angeles Lakers, after the 10-year veteran threw a punch at teammate Kyle Anderson in an argument in the huddle during a timeout.

The Timberwolves announced on Monday that Gobert would serve his one-game punishment when they face the Lakers on Tuesday night. Gobert took a swing at Anderson and hit him in the upper chest in the second quarter of Minnesota’s game against New Orleans on Sunday, when the flustered Timberwolves were trailing by 12 points.

“It’s not something we condone. Veterans can get upset, too, so I don’t want to be too hard on him,” coach Chris Finch said after the game. ‘But obviously it’s not something we’re going to be able to tolerate here.”

Gobert sent a group-text request for forgiveness to his teammates, according to point guard Mike Conley, and later posted a public apology on Twitter.

“It’s an emotional game,” Conley said. “You’re talking about two guys in Kyle and Rudy who are two of the biggest competitors you’ll meet. Stuff happens, honestly.”

Gobert was playing through back spasms that had him listed as questionable for the game.

“We’ve got to be mature, especially late in the season like this,” Conley said. “We can’t let our emotions get the best of us. He knows better than that. Kyle challenges everybody. We know how that works. We have to be able to accept it and move forward.”