Last June, the Phoenix Suns made a blockbuster trade to acquire three-time All-Star Bradley Beal. On the surface, it made sense. An aging Chris Paul was set to be awarded $30 million for his services in 2023-24, and Landry Shamet failed to reach the team’s expectations. James Jones traded them for an All-Star.
Slow clap, slow clap, slow clap…
Adding Beal met more offensive pressure would be taken off of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, which was a notable deficiency in the 2023 postseason run. On paper, the deal appeared to solve some issues for the Suns. But it created others. Who would play point guard? How would the Big Three execute in the space on the floor? Could they stay healthy?
These questions were answered and they’ve left us with more questions.
Bradley Beal
- Position: Shooting Guard (although we believed he’d play some point)
- Vitals: 6’4”, 207 pounds, 30 years old
- Experience: 11 years
- Stats: 53 GP, 18.2 PPG (51.3 FG%, 43.0 3PT%, 81.3 FT%), 5.0 APG, 4.4 RPG
Contract Details
Beal signed a four-year supermax contract with the Washington Wizards, with the fifth year as a player option. The much-touted “no-trade clause” is part of the deal, and it severely limits the Suns’ ability to transfer Beal.
His cap sheet for the upcoming seasons looks like this:
All we can say is, “yikes”.
The no-trade clause certainly is a killer for the Suns, as it not only can probably nix any trade that occurs, but it makes it harder to deal. The Suns acted with haste when they acquired Beal and did not think about attempting to waive that clause. They could potentially be paying for it for the next three seasons, as I do not see a world in which Bradley Beal ops out of a $ 57.1 million contract in 2026-27
Regular Season Recap
One of the fears in acquiring Bradley Beal was his reputation for being oft-injured. That reputation would become a reality rather quickly, as he missed the first seven games of the season with lower back tightness. It was the theme that we would experience throughout the season, as he played in 53 total games in 2023-24.
After missing the first seven games of the season, he played in three, before reinjuring his back. He’d miss an additional 11 games as a result. He was frustrated with the turn of events as his body was not responding and costing him time, but he was thankful that his teammates wanted him to take his time to get healthy.
