The Bradley Beal Trade Doesn’t Make Sense for Anybody
After signing his massive five-year supermax extension, it seemed like Bradley Beal would be a Wizard for life. But, under new management, the Wizards finally decided it was time to sever ties. Once they allowed their franchise cornerstone to seek trade destinations, a deal was quickly patched together. What does this trade mean for the Phoenix Suns and their path to a title? And did Washington get enough for their franchise cornerstone?
Did Ishbia Not Watch The Playoffs?
Jesus. I thought this new owner syndrome thing with Ishbia would have worn off by now. I mean, most normal human beings would rest on their laurels after getting Durant. But not Ishbia. Even after trading Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and four unprotected firsts, the Suns found a way to double down even more. But instead of getting another Durant-like player, they got…Bradley Beal.
I’m still trying to understand the logic behind getting a player like Beal. Surely the Suns can’t look at what happened in the playoffs and think, “You know who would solve all our problems?” Bradley Beal. The logic behind getting Durant was simple. There aren’t many opportunities where a player who can single-handily win a playoff series becomes readily available. We can all agree that Beal isn’t that caliber of a player.
On top of being the only player in the NBA with a full no-trade clause, Beal is being paid like a superstar when he’s not. With his blah defense, injuries, and disappearing 3-PT shot, I don’t see him as one of the league’s 30-best players. And yet, he’s set to be paid a whopping $57 million in 2026-27 when he’s 33 years old.
Did I mention that Beal has a no-trade clause?
Where does Beal even fit into this offense? Lest we forget, there’s only one basketball. With Durant and Booker already on board, it’s hard to see Beal maintaining high-level production with the Suns. We could see a Chris Bosh to Miami decline in touches.
Assuming that Booker takes over the “point guard” role, Beal will have to become something he hasn’t been in a long time: a mostly off-ball spacer who needs to be accurate from beyond the arc to be effective. Of course, I am not saying that this offense will suddenly stop scoring. We saw just how effective a Booker/Durant tandem was last year and Beal will only add to that firepower.
My real worry is on the defensive end. Against the Nuggets in the second round, Denver scored 1.22 points per possession with the Joker averaging 34.5 points on 59% shooting. Again, offense will never be a problem for this team. But adding Beal to this team arguably makes them even worse on defense, if that was even possible. Even with a defensive guru in Frank Vogel, I doubt the Suns will be able to get stops next season.
While Denver loads up on versatile, physical wings to blanket opponents, the Suns are taking the opposite approach. All in the name of big names, I suppose. Adding Beal further complicates Phoenix’s abilities to make moves to try and improve this roster.
Right now, the Suns only have five players under roster entering next season. Those five guys (Booker, Durant, Beal, Ayton, and Cameron Payne) make up $169.4 million in salary. That’s leaves Phoenix with just $10.1 million below the projected Super Tax of $179.5 million. And they have ten roster spots to fill. You see the problem?
Without draft picks, the only way the Suns can get players is with the veteran’s minimum. Ishbia and the Suns are the first team to test the waters of these new, draconian CBA rules. I’m going to go on the record and say this is a bad idea. Given how much Phoenix’s depth hurt them in the playoffs last year, one has to wonder if this was the right way to go about improving their roster.
Unless Bradley Beal turns back the clock a few years and finds a way to coexist in his new “Chris Bosh” role, I feel like keeping Chris Paul would have been the better alternative. It’s odd to me how quickly the Suns soured on the value of Paul. I get the age and injury concerns, but still.
Paul at $30.8 million is not a significantly worse proposition than Beal at $42.5 million, and he doesn’t come with a giant bill for the next four years attached and a no-trade clause. It was much easier to get away from CP-3 than with Beal. The Suns were so desperate to get rid of Paul that they were trying to waive him a week ago. That just doesn’t make sense to me.
While the Suns didn’t lose any elite wing defenders in this deal, they lost the ability to add any good ones. Now, they’re left with no money to build out of the rest of this roster and try and compete with the versatility of a team like Denver or Boston. You wonder if trading Paul for two half-decent wings making $15 million each would have ended up with a better final product for the Suns. Instead, Torrey Craig is probably their best option.
So, to summarize, the Suns added an overpaying, aging player who doesn’t fit the bill of what they did. Phoenix now has no money to build out the rest of this roster. While Mat Ishbia is clearly trying to flex his muscles as the new owner on the block, his actions are reckless.
In perhaps the ultimate irony, a Suns team that for years suffered under one of the league’s cheapest owners will now be penalized for the profligacy of the new one. Even though Ishbia got a 3-D experience of the NBA Playoffs (he flopped, but I digress), he clearly can’t see what his new team needs. And now they’ll likely suffer the same consequences as last year’s second-round exit squad.
Grade: D+
The Wizards Are on the Right Path, But….
The Wizards traded Bradley Beal a couple years too late. They had almost no leverage to make a deal since Beal carried that abhorrent no-trade clause. At the time Beal signed the deal, team owner Ted Leonis called the clause a “point of partnership.” Yeah, that was a partnership like Roy Kroc was a good friend.
Instead of getting a Rudy Gobert-esque kings ransom for the player they were paying over $250 million, the Wizards got;
- An aging Chris Paul who will never play for them
- Landry Shamet
- “A handful of second-round picks and multiple pick swaps”
It wasn’t like Beal demanded that no-trade clause. There was no pressure to grant him one considering nobody else in the entire league had one. Not even Jokic or Giannis, for crying out loud! That fateful decision made these negotiations very hard and limited where the Wizards could send Beal. Once Miami took themselves out of the running to go Lillard hunting, the Suns were the only place where it seemed like Beal would accept a deal.
Keeping Beal for a couple more seasons and a couple of play-in tournament seasons stings. Nevertheless, trading Beal signals that the Wizards have finally taken their heads out of the sand and looked around them. With new front office members like Michael Winger, Travis Schlenk, and Will Dawkins, it’s clear the Wizards are in the process of tearing things down and starting from scratch.
Perhaps the most valuable thing the Wizards are getting in this deal is more cap flexibility. Getting that ugly Beal contract off the books gives them more room to make moves in the present and, more importantly, down the road.
Guys like Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis have player options this summer. Letting both guys go for nothing doesn’t seem smart. Don’t be surprised if we see some sign-and-trades from Washington this summer. Chris Paul will be sought out by teams like the Lakers and the Clippers. There’s another bargaining chip this front office has to play with.
Of course, while the Wizards are on the right path, this entire fiasco with Beal is the perfect summation of their franchise. They backed themselves into a corner for no reason, and even though they’re heading in the right direction, trading your franchise cornerstone for a “handful of second round” picks has to sting a little bit.
After years of aimlessly milling about, it looks like the Wizards have finally settled on a plan for their future. It was probably a day, no, two years late and a lot of dollars short, but hey, sometimes you just have to rip off that band-aid. And that’s what Washington has done by trading Beal.
Grade: C-
Who won the Bradley Beal Trade? Leave a Comment Down Below!
Follow My Instagram & Facebook To Never Miss a Post: @hoopnotions
1 thought on “The Bradley Beal Trade Doesn’t Make Sense for Anybody”
Comments are closed.