Phoenix Suns add draft capital to fuel potential Bradley Beal trade

Phoenix Suns and Bradley Beal are a costly mismatch in every way.

The Phoenix Suns’ 2024-25 season has begun with all the drama of a hostage situation, and the one scenario we dreaded most has become our reality. The Suns are the Nakatomi Tower, and Bradley Beal? He’s Hans Gruber, smugly holding the detonator while the chaos unfolds. Dramatic? Sure. But the reality for the Suns.

Let’s rewind to June 2023, a time when optimism still lingered. Determined to seize the fleeting championship window created by Chris Paul and Devin Booker, the Suns made their boldest move yet. They acquired Kevin Durant, forming a lineup that, on paper, was unstoppable. CP3, Booker, KD, and Deandre Ayton? It sounded like a cheat code.

But reality, as it often does, had other plans. Durant arrived in Phoenix already injured, and when he finally suited up for his highly anticipated home debut, fate intervened cruelly again. He tweaked his ankle during a pregame shootaround. Just like that, the superteam played only eight regular-season games together. They went a tantalizing 8-0 in those games, a perfect glimpse of what could have been.

Then came the playoffs, where the Suns had to conjure chemistry on the fly. They fought through the first round, dispatching the Los Angeles Clippers in five games. But in the second round, the cracks in their foundation turned into gaping holes. They fell to the eventual champions, the Denver Nuggets, in six games.

Chris Paul, as if cursed by the postseason, went down with an injury in Game 2. Deandre Ayton’s lackluster effort was so glaring it practically radiated indifference, pushing a once-supportive fan base — who had cheered his hustle during the 2021 Finals run — to distance themselves from him entirely. And head coach Monty Williams was tactically outmaneuvered at every turn.

The Suns left the court bruised, beaten, and staring down a long offseason filled with tough decisions. One hell of a way to send off legendary broadcaster Al McCoy, eh?

Chris Paul was an aging point guard, an archetype that historically doesn’t move the needle in the NBA or sustain production. Add his knack for getting injured precisely when the Suns needed him most? The organization faced a pivotal crossroads. Do you bring him back on a $30.8 million contract, or do you use his expiring deal to reshape the roster around Kevin Durant and Devin Booker?

James Jones didn’t hesitate. He chose the latter.

Enter Bradley Beal, a star guard who had made it abundantly clear he wanted out of Washington. Beal wasn’t just looking for an exit, he had the blueprint all laid out, one eerily similar to Jimmy Butler’s path. Except, unlike Jimmy, Beal had all the leverage thanks to a shiny no-trade clause in his contract. His shortlist of acceptable destinations had just two names: Miami and Phoenix.

On Father’s Day 2023, Jones made his move. He sent Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, and a mountain of second-round picks to the Wizards, bringing Beal to the Valley.

It was a bold gamble, one that looked promising on paper. A fresh start for a Suns team desperate to maximize its championship window. But as with all gambles, the stakes were high, and the outcome was anything but certain. And paper doesn’t win games.

Here we are, a year and a half later, staring down the doomsday scenario we all prayed wouldn’t come to pass. But here it is, unraveling before our eyes. The Suns don’t function the way they should. Not even close. On paper, they’re a contender. In reality, they’re a 21-21 team, crumbling under the weight of bloated contracts and uninspired play. This isn’t the superteam we were promised. It’s a rec league squad with bad vibes and worse chemistry.

And Bradley Beal? He’s holding the team hostage. Instead of finding ways to build around him, the Suns are stuck trying to build with him. And it’s going nowhere.

To be clear, Beal isn’t the sole culprit. Not even close.

The Suns gambled big, and they’re losing. In fact, we’ve reached the point where we can stop pretending this could work and say it outright: They lost. James Jones jumped at the first shiny object — a high-priced, aging All-Star — to replace an equally aging point guard, and it’s backfiring spectacularly. This isn’t one of those “well, let’s see how it plays out in the playoffs” situations. The team can’t even make it through the regular season without imploding.

Should the Suns trade Bradley Beal? The fanbase has already answered loud and clear. It’s a resounding “yes.”

For all of Beal’s admirable qualities as a person, he’s never clicked here. When Chris Paul and Devin Booker shared the floor, there were moments. 199 games’ worth of them. They went 141-58, a sparkling 70.9% win rate. But Booker and Beal? Can anyone name one defining moment from their 74 games together? I’ll wait. They’ve gone 42-32. That’s 56.8%. Decent. But decent doesn’t cut it when you’re pinning your hopes on a superteam.

Here’s the issue: redundancy. Two shooting guards, both pulling in $50+ million a year. What team, what front office, what galaxy sees that as sustainable? It’s roster construction that laughs in the face of logic, and now we’re stuck watching the wreckage unfold in slow motion.

Phoenix is doing what it can to change things, though. Moving Beal to the second unit might be an effort to balance offensive firepower throughout the game. Or maybe it’s a power play, banking on Beal’s ego pushing him to waive his no-trade clause.

And realistically, will the Suns trade Beal? The fanbase doesn’t think so.

And it’s not hard to see why. His no-trade clause gives him all the leverage. He controls the board. Plus, who’s even lining up to take him? That same question nagged me the day Phoenix traded for him, and nothing has changed. Except that Beal’s salary has ballooned, and so has his age.

It’s the same story with Jusuf Nurkic. The Suns now have not one but two high-profile assets that no other team wants. Not even at a steep discount. It’s a nightmare scenario. The Suns have painted themselves into a rigid, unforgiving corner, and Bradley Beal, like Hans Gruber himself, is clutching the detonator.

The cruel twist? If James Jones blows this thing up, Beal is likely the last man standing, smirking as the dust settles and the ash scatters.

Is there hope? A week ago, no. That’s when I wrote this. But things have changed.

The Suns’ recent trade with the Utah Jazz added much-needed draft capital to their arsenal.

While these assets come via pick swaps, the key takeaway is that Phoenix is now active in every upcoming draft through 2030. They’ve transformed their situation, going from just one tradeable first-round pick to having six at their disposal. Picks that can be added to a potential Beal deal (if he approves) or Nurkic deal.

Ugh. We’re constantly reminded that everything hinges on Beal’s willingness to waive his no-trade clause. Sure, “a source familiar with his thinking,” says, “he would consider waiving his no-trade clause for the right destination”, but until that happens, I’ll stay pessimistic. But hopeful.

James Jones, Josh Bartelstein, and Mat Ishbia are aligning their pieces, setting the stage for a decisive move to rewrite the narrative of last summer’s hasty gamble. They’ve fortified their arsenal with newfound draft capital, loading their trade guns with fresh ammunition, ready to take their shot at redemption.

So here we sit, Suns fans caught in a Cold War of despair. It feels like the Cuban Missile Crisis but with bad basketball decisions and bloated contracts. We’re just waiting for JFK to tell us it’s all going to be okay. Waiting to hear from Beal’s camp that he is officially willing to waive his no-trade clause.

There’s no avoiding the fallout. Maybe the only way forward is straight through the chaos. See you on the other side.