John Wall‘s backcourt mate, Bradley Beal, is set to become a restricted free agent once free agency hits, meaning the Washington Wizards will be able to match any offer made by other teams. With the NBA salary cap set to increase by a substantial margin, Ernie Grunfeld could theoretically keep the team’s shooting guard in DC even if they were to sign Kevin Durant.

Even with the potential to bring Durant back to his hometown team, Washington needs to be ready for the worst. They must be prepared to see the former Texas Longhorns player stay with the Oklahoma City Thunder. This is a very real possibility, and a thought shared by many around the league.

However, even if Washington manages to sign Durant, Wall has to be the guy to speak up to team officials and ask for them to pay extra money to bring back the guy he has shared the court with since Beal was drafted out of Florida in 2012. Wall is the leader of the team, and if he begs the front office to keep Beal with the Wizards while giving them a good explanation, they should oblige.

Signing both Beal and Durant at what will most likely be max contracts would cost a lot, but it would create a “Big-3” that could compete with the star power of the Cleveland Cavaliers with LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving. Until another team in the Eastern Conference puts together a team this stacked, nobody will be able to compete with the Cavs for the conference title.

New FanPost: The argument against not re-signing Bradley Beal this summer https://t.co/qxM5Do6SCM pic.twitter.com/JFkcw0Qz17

— Bullets Forever (@BulletsForever) May 1, 2016

Keeping Beal whether or not Durant signs also gives Washington roster continuity, something that really hurt their chemistry this past season. Wall had to get used to a brand new group of guys from the previous season, which hurt the team, making it that much more important for him to be the vocal leader against redoing this process.

Wall is the face of the franchise, and unless the Wizards want a new face, they need to keep their leader happy. Signing Beal no matter what has to be the top priority for this team.