Reports indicate that the Washington Wizards and Phoenix Suns agreed to a blockbuster trade. Bradley Beal is heading to Phoenix and Chris Paul to the nation’s capital.
Sources spoke to ESPN on Sunday under the guise of anonymity, although Beal’s agent has been more public about the matter. The Phoenix Suns acquire a former All-Star in Bradley Beal. The Wizards get Chris Paul, substitute shooter Landry Shamet, and second-round picks. That said, there are some pertinent details that need to be discussed.
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Bradley Beal, drafted in 2012, has been an excellent soldier for the Washington franchise. He played with them during the relatively successful years of the early 2010s as well as the moribund campaigns of the last few years.
In 2022-2023, Beal tied the team lead with 23.2 points per game alongside Kristaps Porzingis, so there is no question he’s still got game. He also led the club with 5.4 assists per tilt. A caveat is that he only played 50 games last year due to injury. The previous campaign, 2021-2022, was cut short to due surgery in his left wrist.
In the desert, word had it that Phoenix may have waved Chris Paul were it not for this trade. Moreover, if reading that shoo-in hall of famer Chris Paul going to the Wizards comes off as odd, that’s because reports indicate that this may end up being a three-way deal with another club, ideally a contender. In the worst-case scenario, Washington could buy out Paul’s contract, thus making him a free agent. At the time of writing, the deal itself is still being ironed out.
Beal joins a Suns team obviously looking to win a championship sooner rather than later. With Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, scoring isn’t an issue, and it will only get better, presumably, with Beal.
Those keen on numbers can take note that he arrives in Phoenix with $207 million left on his contract. As such, the argument is that the next few seasons could mean the Suns banking their success on Booker, Durant, Beal, Deandre Ayton and many much lower-calibre players that won’t cost much. Still, that core quartet is a force to be reckoned with. One need only be reminded of what Jimmy Butler did for the Heat recently, or what LeBron James did for Cleveland many years