Kevin Durant has another chance to win a title as part of a Big 3, with the Suns set to acquire guard Bradley Beal from the Wizards to pair with the former Net and Devin Booker.
In return, Phoenix will reportedly send Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, second-round picks and additional pick swaps to the Wizards. ESPN and The Athletic first reported that a framework was in place for the trade Sunday afternoon.
Bleacher Report later added that Paul could get sent from the Wizards to the Clippers, which could lead to a reunion between the 38-year-old and the franchise he played for from 2011-17.
It marked the latest move by the Suns this offseason in response to an early postseason exit, when they were eliminated by the Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals. First, they fired head coach Monty Williams. Then, they hired Frank Vogel, who coached the Lakers to the title in 2020.
And a third step transpired Sunday with the Beal deal. Trade rumors involving Beal, a 29-year-old and three-time All-Star who averaged 23.2 points per game last year, intensified following the NBA Finals, and the Suns and the Heat had reportedly emerged as two finalists entering the weekend. Beal signed a five-year, $251-million extension with the Wizards last year that runs through the 2026-27 season, with the final year a player option.
Beal had a no-trade clause, but he waived it to approve the trade. According to The Athletic, Beal selected Phoenix over the Heat, Bucks and Kings.
So the push toward Phoenix’s first championship in franchise history continues under new owner Mat Ishbia. Suns and Phoenix Mercury CEO Josh Bartelstein, hired in March, is the son of Bradley Beal’s agent, Mark Bartelstein.
The Suns appeared set for an NBA title run after the 2023 trade deadline, when they acquired Durant from the Nets, but that stalled when Durant dealt with injuries and they couldn’t defeat Denver, the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed.
But with the Beal trade, Durant gets another chance with a Big 3 after the one in Brooklyn — alongside Kyrie Irving and James Harden — included controversies, injuries, a lack of time together on the court and anything but championships.
This also could impact the Knicks. They hold the rights to the Wizards’ first-round pick in 2023, which was acquired on draft night last year when they traded the No. 11 overall pick to the Thunder for three first-rounders — one of which belonged to Washington, via Houston and ultimately Oklahoma City.
But that pick is protected in the lottery this year (which already happened), the top 12 picks in 2024, the top 10 in 2025 and the top eight selections in 2026.
That pick then turns to two second-round picks starting in 2026, which isn’t farfetched with the Wizards now rebuilding.
Either Washington or the Clippers will get Paul, whose numbers dipped during 2022-23. Washington will also get Shamet, a former Net and first-round pick who hasn’t averaged over 11 points per game in an NBA season yet. Any first-round picks from the Suns would be swaps, too, according to the initial reported framework.
So if the Suns wind up making a deep postseason run, their worry will stem from having to navigate contracts for Durant, Booker, Deandre Ayton and now Beal. They didn’t have to part with many future assets to, at least on paper, remain in contention.
