The Suns ought to trade Bradley Beal during the offseason.
In a recent piece, B/R’s Greg Swartz proposed the following trade scenarios for the upcoming offseason, involving Bradley Beal and the Phoenix Suns:
“Considering Bradley Beal’s contract, the deal for the 30-year-old was dubious at the time. The veteran guard has only played in 37 games this season due to injuries, which further supports Swartz’s assessment that this deal was a mistake.
“Devin Booker will start a supermax extension next season, but even with that, he will not earn as much as Beal ($159.9 million compared to $160.9 million) over the following three years.
“Beal has become a wildly overpaid third option, and Phoenix actually improves by 2.6 points per 100 possessions with him on the bench because Kevin Durant also makes over $50 million each season.
“The Suns should make the trade if they can find a solution that works for all parties (Beal still has a no-trade clause). It would be worthwhile even to be relieved of Beal’s massive deal and to acquire some excellent role players back (point guard, defensive-minded wing) to surround Booker and Durant.
“If stars such as Donovan Mitchell and Trae Young aren’t traded, there may be a market for Beal.”
According to reports, Beal has a no-trade clause in his contract, so before making any moves, the Suns would need to acquire the player’s OK.
The former Wizards guard has had health problems this season, but when he’s on the court with his teammates, he’s shown glimpses of the 30 point per game scorer he once was in Washington.
With a record of 39-29, the Suns presently hold the eighth seed.