The Washington Wizards have finally moved off Bradley Beal after years of possible trade rumors, moving him to the Phoenix Suns for Chris Paul and Landry Shamet, along with second-round picks and a first-round pick swap.
Beal is a former scoring champion and went for a shockingly low price for someone of his caliber. That primarily happened due to the Wizards giving Beal a no-trade clause in his supermax extension last summer, something the Suns tried to get him to remove from his contract while trading for him. Beal refused and the clause has carried over to Phoenix, according to Zach Lowe.
“I know at least a couple teams, if not all of them, made the ask ‘Hey, would you eliminate the no-trade clause if we got you?’ And that was a non-starter. He was keeping the no-trade clause.”
No player with a no-trade clause would ever give that up, as it guarantees Beal is in control of his career for the next four seasons. Even if he disappoints, the Suns can’t just get rid of him without having him approve whatever deal they get. It makes him a poor asset to have, especially if he carries over his last season averages of 23.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists.
Will Bradley Beal Pay Off For The Suns?
The price that Phoenix is paying for Beal is immense, which means the franchise will desperately want the team to be a title contender immediately. The contract and the luxury tax penalties will be worth it if they win a title, but will be a nightmare if they underperform.
To fill out this roster with the max contracts the Suns are paying, they will likely end up moving Deandre Ayton for depth. There’s no guarantee on that front though, as the Suns have previously indicated they have on-court plans for Ayton this season.
The Suns didn’t need another scorer but they’re now going to have the most potent offensive three we have seen since KD teamed up with Kyrie Irving and James Harden in Brooklyn. That didn’t end well, so everyone will be waiting to see how it plays out for Phoenix.
