8 terrible Bradley Beal trades that will never happen

Brainstorming Bradley Beal trades is a somewhat fruitless exercise. The Phoenix Suns aren’t trading anyone from the Big 3 this summer, and even if they wanted to, Beal probably wouldn’t be the guy on the move for a number of reasons.

Sure, he’s the most expendable member of Phoenix’s Big 3. His numbers dropping to 18.2 points, 5.0 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game in his first Suns season, he missed 29 games with various nagging injuries, and in that first-round sweep against the Minnesota Timberwolves, his 16.5 points and 4.5 assists a night simply weren’t good enough for any member of a Big 3.

But pinning all the blame on Beal would simply be unfair. He had to adjust his game more than anyone on the roster and still filled holes throughout the season as a point guard, primary defensive stopper, driver and whatever else Phoenix needed. He struggled to find his spots to be aggressive and looked far from the 30-points-per-game scorer he was a few seasons ago in Washington, but injuries, a brand new coaching staff, and an entirely new roster presented more obstacles to building continuity than any flaws with Beal himself.

The problem — and the main reason a portion of the fanbase has already given up on this Big 3 iteration — is his contract. Beal will earn $50.2 million next season, $53.7 million the following season, and still have a $57.1 million player option waiting for him in the summer of 2026. That means at least two — and most likely three — more years of Beal earning max money despite being the third member of this Big 3.

That’s not a problem if the Suns are contending for championships, but if they’re getting swept in the first round while Beal misses 20-30 games each season and the Big 3 struggles to find their rhythm, that could slam Phoenix’s immediate title window shut. Some concern is warranted, since the soon-to-be 31-year-old hasn’t played more than 60 games in a season since 2018-19.

The bigger issue with Beal’s contract, however, is the laundry list of limitations Phoenix faces in any trade. As a second tax apron team, they can’t aggregate outgoing salaries to trade for a higher-salaried player, nor can they take back more money than they send out in any deal. Beal also possesses a no-trade clause in his contract, which means that even if the Suns worked jumped through all the right hoops, Beal could kill any deal that didn’t suit him.

For those reasons, and because the Suns’ best way out is probably through, don’t expect any of our terrible Bradley Beal trades to come to fruition.

However, because most casual NBA fans have repeatedly asked about the possibility of a Beal trade, and because these new CBA rules are so confusing, we’re going to continue our weekly thought exercise and do our best to come up with a few Bradley Beal trades that are both legal and actually might make sense. This is where the disclaimers come in:

1. These trades are not what I think the Suns should or shouldn’t do, but rather, an exercise to show what’s possible under the current CBA. We’re simply trying to paint a picture of what is and isn’t realistic.
2. Remember, Phoenix can’t combine salaries in any trade, nor can they take back additional money in any trade. In any Beal trade, the Suns are not allowed to take back a single dollar more than his 2024-25 salary ($50,203,930).
3. To that end, I went through all 29 other teams’ books to figure out which contracts (or combination of contracts) legally work in Bradley Beal trades before narrowing it down to deals that might actually make sense.
4. Unless otherwise indicated, the trade targets included here are not based on sourced information, but rather, my personal opinion on players that could address specific needs for Phoenix.
5. To be fair to everyone involved, we’re doing one of these articles for all seven Suns players under contract (Nassir Little, David Roddy, Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen and each member of the Big 3), so sit tight.
6. Beal’s no-trade clause could easily kill any one of these hypothetical deals, so keep that in mind.
7. Because the Suns’ No. 22 overall pick and 2031 pick are not trade-eligible until draft night, Fanspo’s trade machine wouldn’t allow us to include it in the trade machine screenshots below, but we mention those picks wherever necessary.

If you still have questions about the second tax apron or why Phoenix’s best course is to just run it back, ESPN’s Bobby Marks joined the PHNX Suns Podcast recently to answer plenty of questions about those topics. If not, let’s dive in!

Weeding out teams from Bradley Beal trades

Unlike Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen or Nassir Little, it’s a lot harder to come up with potential trades for Bradley Beal. Between his no-trade clause, his massive contract and the limitations in place for first and second tax apron teams, finding deals that would actually make sense for everyone involved is a Sisyphean task.

But I wasn’t kidding about going through all 29 teams, and since we’re being thorough, it’s probably smarter to start by eliminating teams that make no sense as Beal suitors.

We start at the top of the East, where the Boston Celtics are two wins away from winning the title. They’re not breaking that roster up for a 31-year-old Beal on a gargantuan contract, and even if they did want him, Boston will be a second tax apron team this summer, which means they also can’t take back more salary than they send out in trades or aggregate salaries.

They would need a third party to facilitate so that neither Phoenix nor Boston took back more salary than they sent out, and neither the Suns nor the Celtics could send out multiple players in that three-team deal. So yeah, not happening.

The New York Knicks could be a potential tax apron team too, depending on what happens in free agency with OG Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein. Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson for Beal, the Suns’ No. 22 pick and their 2031 first-rounder technically works, but why would the Knicks do that?

The Milwaukee Bucks are another second tax apron team that would require a third party, and they just traded for Damian Lillard, so Beal is superfluous. Darius Garland or Donovan Mitchell could be on the move soon, but Beal and two first-rounders isn’t enough value for either one of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ star guards.

The same could be said for Atlanta Hawks guards Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, except the Hawks are close to tax apron territory as well. Adding an expensive contract like Beal does Atlanta no favors, even with two picks attached.

Team salaries factor in 2024 1st rd. picks pic.twitter.com/A4824fa5Ly

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) April 15, 2024

The Indiana Pacers’ main priority will be re-signing Pascal Siakam and letting their young core grow together, which includes an extension for Andrew Nembhard. Similarly, adding Beal to the Toronto Raptors’ young backcourt would make no sense. Toronto is far closer to a long-term rebuild, but Beal would just steal minutes from RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Scottie Barnes and Gradey Dick.

Banishing Beal to the Charlotte Hornets would surely prompt him to invoke his no-trade clause, and the Washington Wizards just traded him away, so bringing him back one year later wouldn’t track. The Detroit Pistons clearly want to get better and can afford to take on bad contracts in the interim, but their young guys would be untouchable. So even if Detroit wanted Beal, getting back Evan Fournier and Isaiah Stewart would be a step backward for Phoenix, amounting to an insulting salary dump.

In the West, the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks are all tax apron teams who should be content to mostly run it back. The LA Clippers could look different depending on what happens with Paul George and James Harden in free agency, but they’re a projected tax apron team as well, and Beal wouldn’t really fit their plans even if those guys left.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have plenty of cap space, but all their main contributors would be off-limits, leaving only guys like Josh Giddey and Kenrich Williams to choose from. That wouldn’t be enough for Phoenix, and Beal doesn’t address OKC’s areas of need the way someone like Isaiah Hartenstein — a proper, reported target — does.

The Los Angeles Lakers could be in for a summer of change, but they’re a projected first tax apron team if LeBron James stays. James earns more than Beal next season, so before anyone asks, there is NO SCENARIO where the Suns could trade Beal for the King, even with a third team involved. Maybe a Beal trade makes more sense for LA if James leaves as a free agent, but it’s unlikely all those stars align.

Speaking of teams facing uncertainty, the Golden State Warriors sport one of the most expensive rosters in the league and still have Klay Thompson’s free agency to deal with. They’ll likely be a first tax apron team, and Beal wouldn’t make sense there even if Thompson left.

The New Orleans Pelicans, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings have flawed rosters, but they’re mostly set in the backcourt, with few contracts that would makes sense to swap for Beal, especially given how much younger their players are. The Grizz are another first tax apron team, and the Kings will push toward apron territory if they re-sign Malik Monk.

Just like that, we’ve eliminated 22 teams from our Bradley Beal trades! Now let’s dive into the remaining eight, the reasons they’re slightly more realistic…and why they’re ultimately terrible and will never happen.

8. Philadelphia 76ers

The only fully-guaranteed contract on the Sixers’ books heading into next season is Joel Embiid, so yeah, they definitely have the cap space to absorb Beal’s $50.2 million salary. The problem is, trading with a team like this would rob Phoenix of the opportunity to trade him for, ya know, players.

Embiid obviously isn’t happening, which leaves Paul Reed’s $7.7 million non-guaranteed salary:

Reed is an energetic backup big and all, but this would be a terrible salary dump. Even if the Suns’ main goal this summer was to shed Beal’s massive contract (which, again, it’s not), turning the third member of your Big 3 into a backup, small-ball 5 would be horrendous asset management.

That still applies even if Phoenix somehow convinced Philly to throw in some type of draft compensation, which would probably amount to a second-rounder like this year’s No. 41 overall pick.

Assuming Beal would even want to play with Embiid in Philly, the Sixers will be big-game hunting in free agency and have a big extension lined up for Tyrese Maxey. Clogging up the books with Beal’s massive salary wouldn’t make much sense.

7. Utah Jazz

As flawed as John Collins and Jordan Clarkson are, sure, it’d be great for the Suns to get a true 4 and a backup scoring guard! Collins would allow Kevin Durant to spend more time at the 3 while providing a dose of size, athleticism and rim-running. Clarkson can light it up off the bench and was even an underrated playmaker last year, averaging 5.0 assists per game.

But this isn’t enough of a return for either side. For Phoenix, those two don’t warrant losing Beal and Phoenix’s only tradable first-rounders until 2026, and for Utah, that return might not be enough to hold Danny Ainge’s attention.

Remember, Ainge is one of the league’s biggest penny-pinchers when it comes to extracting absolute value from each and every trade asset away. He’d want one pick for Collins, one for Clarkson, and the Suns would have to hope he didn’t want another one for taking on Beal’s contract.

Beal doesn’t really fit what Utah is trying to build either. Sure, he’s the best player involved, but he’s older than the 26-year-old Collins, and a move like this only makes sense if the Jazz were content to keep losing while stockpiling picks. From the sound of it, Utah wants to start being more competitive and build around Lauri Markkanen, and all of this is ignoring how fast Beal would kill this deal with a “hard pass” on Salt Lake City.

6. Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic have enough cap space to absorb Beal’s contract, which means they don’t need to make the individual trade math work. So sorry to rain on anyone’s parade, but that was the only path to even suggesting a trade like this (with Phoenix’s 2031 first-rounder also thrown in):

For the Magic, they’re addressing their glaring need for shooting. Beal knocked down a career-high 43 percent of his 3s this year, which would obviously help an Orlando squad that ranked 29th in 3-point attempts and 24th in 3-point percentage. His ball-handling and secondary playmaking could also help a team whose point guard position is in a state of flux.

However, giving up their starting center in Wendell Carter Jr., plus a sixth man like Cole Anthony, plus a defensive Swiss Army knife like Jonathan Isaac just isn’t realistic, even with the Suns’ No. 22 pick and 2031 first-rounder attached. It’d leave Orlando with a more expensive contract for one player, plus a gaping hole at center. Maybe they could use their cap space to address that with an offer for someone like Nic Claxton or Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency, but more than likely, they’d prefer something like this:

The Suns would probably push for this year’s No. 22 pick, while Orlando — who already owns a pick at No. 18 — would probably push for the 2031 selection instead, or maybe even both picks.

Either way, the Magic are probably better off addressing their needs with their ample cap space in free agency rather than giving up players for a soon-to-be 31-year-old Beal. The Suns, meanwhile, aren’t getting enough value in return for the third member of their Big 3 unless Carter is involved, since Isaac is injury-prone and still raw offensively, while Anthony is a young but flawed microwave scorer off the bench.

Carter would at least give Phoenix an alternative to Nurk in a playoff setting, but he’s also struggled to stay on the court throughout his career, and there are too many holes to poke in this trade logic on both sides — and that’s without mentioning Beal’s no-trade clause. Maybe he’d enjoy being in Florida again, but joining a younger Magic squad isn’t exactly the shot at contending he wanted.

5. Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets feel pretty aimless right now, but even after such a disappointing year, the Twins aren’t coming back in a Beal trade. Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith could definitely help the Suns, but their combined salaries ($27.9 million) aren’t enough to make the trade math work.

That leaves Ben Simmons’ $40.3 million expiring salary:

Let’s be clear on this right now: Any Suns fan who would prefer Simmons to Beal just because Simmons is a “point guard” needs their head examined. Simmons played in just 15 games this year, averaging 6.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game. What about any of that is preferable to Beal?

The only possible answer is Simmons’ expiring contract, but dumping Beal for a worse player — all while wasting another precious year of this short window that Devin Booker and Kevin Durant have together — would be a tragic mistake.

On the Nets’ side, they’d probably rather just let Simmons come off the books next summer rather than trade for a win-now player with three years of maximum salary left on his deal. And are we sure Beal would even let this trade happen?

4. Chicago Bulls

Let’s start with our outlandish, star-driven option that doesn’t make sense for either side:

Both Beal and Zach LaVine are on massive contracts that run through 2025-26, with a player option for 2026-27. Both have dealt with injury problems in recent years, and both fail to address an actual position of need for the Suns.

LaVine is probably the better offensive weapon at this point, and at the very least, he’s the younger one. But it’s only by about 21 months, and LaVine’s skill-set features way more overlap with Booker than Beal’s does. All the Suns would get here is a scorer who averaged more points but is less versatile, less efficient, plays far worse defense, and missed more games this year than Beal (LaVine only managed to play 25 games).

For the Bulls, this type of move doesn’t make much sense either. LaVine is younger and on a slightly cheaper contract, even if they’re both inflated max salaries. Unless Chicago is really looking to blow things up and stockpile picks, an offer of Beal and one or two first-rounders doesn’t move the needle much.

That’s probably more first-rounders than the Bulls can expect out of a LaVine trade at this point, but in the event this exchange doesn’t do anything for either side, there’s another (flawed) alternative:

Talk about rolling the dice! Because of Lonzo Ball’s worrisome injury history and Nikola Vucevic’s current value, the Suns would probably only offer this year’s No. 22 pick as a sweetener. That would give the Bulls two cracks at this year’s draft — one at No. 11 and one at No. 22 — to jumpstart their inevitable rebuild, at the cost of taking on Beal’s salary.

The 6-foot-6 Ball has long felt like a good match for Phoenix, given his size, playmaking and defensive abilities. Unfortunately, the 26-year-old has been entirely incapable of staying healthy. He only managed 35 games the last season we saw him, and that was two years ago. Ball expects to make his return for the start of the 2024-25 season, his final year under contract, but there’s a non-zero chance he’s a shell of his former self by now.

As for Vucevic, he’s a decent offensive big who’s a major minus on the defensive side of the floor. He’s got two years and $41.5 million left on his contract, but fails to address Phoenix’s real needs at the center spot, including athleticism, mobility and rim protection.

At this rate, the Suns would be better off keeping Beal and their draft picks, and one could make the same case for the Bulls. As for Beal’s no-trade clause, there’s a decent chance he uses it, but maybe he could be persuaded by his former Florida head coach (and current Bulls coach) Billy Donovan.

3. San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs are in no rush to start contending with Victor Wembanyama, but that doesn’t mean they’d take on a contract like Bradley Beal without being compensated for it. They also won’t be offering anyone from their young core.

Even a role player like Zach Collins doesn’t feel like a sure bet unless Phoenix includes a pick of some sort. This year’s No. 22 selection is too much value to give up in this type of salary dump where the Suns only get Collins and an inefficient bench scorer like Devonte’ Graham:

Phoenix pushing for Collins and a quality point guard to run the second unit (Tre Jones) would make more sense, but the Spurs would be out of cap room to absorb Beal’s contract unless they cut Graham’s non-guaranteed salary first:

If the Spurs felt pressure to add established talent like Beal and start progressing sooner, then maybe this would make sense. But that’s still a bridge too far without a draft pick attached, which is why No. 22 is included.

Even if San Antonio did feel that type of pressure, why not sign a player to a more cost-effective contract in free agency instead of committing to a massive three-year investment like Beal? Time is on the Spurs’ side with Wemby, and having capable 5s to play next to him makes more sense than adding a 31-year-old shooting guard.

Beal probably isn’t waiving his no-trade clause to go to Texas, and even if the Suns got Tre Jones and Zach Collins without having to give up a pick, this is another salary dump where Phoenix becomes decidedly worse.

2. Portland Trail Blazers

The Blazers don’t have to make a move. Yes, they’re a first apron team despite being the worst team in the West, but they have time to let youngsters like Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara and Duop Reath develop.

However, if they want to get out of the remaining three years and $96 million million on Jerami Grant’s contract (plus another $36.4 million on his fourth-year player option), maybe something could be done about that. Grant never became the star wing he originally envisioned, but he’s still a capable, long defender who has spent years refining his abilities as a scorer.

This season in Portland, he put up 21.0 points per game on efficient .451/.402/.817 shooting splits. He’d spare Durant from having to log too many minutes at the 3 and would provide Phoenix with a designated wing defender. His contract isn’t great, running even longer than Beal’s, but it’s for a more manageable annual amount, and he won’t turn 31 until next March.

The Blazers are a first tax apron team, so they can’t take back more money than they send out. That requires a third party, so let’s get a little wild:

The Suns get Grant, as well as another designated wing stopper in Matisse Thybulle. The 27-year-old Thybulle has struggled to stay on the floor because of his offense, and that’d still be a concern in Phoenix. Perhaps when sharing the floor with the Big 3, he’d veer closer to the 38.8 percent he shot from 3-point range last season, rather than his 34.6 percent mark this year.

Phoenix would also pocket the No. 34 overall pick from the Blazers, who would snag the Suns’ No. 22 selection and already have two other picks in this draft at No. 7 and No. 14. Rip City would take on Beal’s contract, adding Phoenix’s 2031 first-rounder and a top-five protected 2025 first-rounder from Orlando (via Denver) to their war chest.

The Magic would also send Cole Anthony to Rip City, and for their trouble, they’d get Malcolm Brogdon, a more established floor general who could help that young Orlando team in the point guard department.

Then again, wouldn’t the Suns just be better off keeping Beal, their No. 22 pick and their 2031 first-rounder? There’s a strong argument there, and as much as Portland should be open to offers on Grant and Brogdon, adding Beal to the mix may not appeal to them. So how about we try sending him somewhere else while keeping Portland fresh in the back of our minds?

1. Miami Heat

It wasn’t long ago that the Miami Heat were Bradley Beal’s preferred trade destination! And the Heat were interested too until they backed out!

The problem? Like Phoenix, Miami is already a first tax apron team, which means they can’t take back a single dollar more than they send out in any trade. That would require a third party to facilitate, and the Heat would have to send out more than Beal’s $50.2 million in salary to make the trade math work.

Thankfully, they can aggregate salaries in a three-team trade since they’re only in the first apron rather than the second apron. That’s particularly helpful, since, shy of Jimmy Butler demanding a trade, it will take a combination of more undesirable contracts to reach that $50.2 million threshold.

How about a three-team deal where Phoenix gets a starting-caliber wing and a backup point guard, Miami gets Beal and the No. 22 pick in this year’s draft, and the Magic add some shooting?

For Phoenix, Caleb Martin has been a frequent trade target on our lists for a while now. The 28-year-old put up a career-high 10.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game this year, and though he only shot 34.9 percent from 3-point range, he’s a capable wing defender, which the Suns could use more of.

Rozier is an imperfect player, but he can light it up when he gets hot, and he’d provide a lead ball-handler and playmaker for the second unit. The 30-year-old started in 30 of his 31 appearances for Miami this year and filled it up, averaging 16.4 points, 4.6 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game on 37.1 percent shooting from deep. He and Martin would give Phoenix two plus-defenders.

For Miami, they’d add Beal as another top scoring option next to Butler and Bam Adebayo, all without losing any intrinsic pieces of their core and while pocketing an extra first to go with their No. 15 pick in this year’s draft.

And for Orlando, their mere participation is rewarded with a high-caliber, high-volume 3-point sniper in Duncan Robinson, who averaged a career-high 12.9 points per game this season while drilling 39.5 percent of his 7.0 3-point attempts per game.

However, as much as this trade “addresses” some positions of need, the Suns are still undoubtedly getting worse, all while losing the only first-round pick they’ll have until 2026. As much as Miami may have liked Beal recently, maybe they’d prefer to stay away from his contract and keep their depth intact at this point. And while Robinson would undoubtedly help Orlando, his $19.4 million salary does eat into a bit of their cap space.

It’s a nice thought, but even in this type of rare three-team deal that sort of works, there are drawbacks. So how about this bat-shit four-team deal instead?

In this scenario, the Suns land their starting wing in Jerami Grant and their Nurkic alternative in Wendell Carter Jr. It costs them Beal (who lands in Miami), as well as their 22nd overall pick this year and their 2031 first-rounder (which both go to Portland).

The Blazers also pocket that aforementioned protected first-rounder from Orlando (via Denver) in 2025, and to balance salaries, they get Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier from Miami. Portland would have a backcourt logjam with these two overpaid guards joining the mix, but Herro is still relatively young, and both can be flipped elsewhere. In any case, pocketing three first-rounders for Grant, Brogdon and underwhelming rookie Kris Murray isn’t terrible.

Miami gets Herro and Rozier’s sizable contracts off the books and sends the No. 15 pick in this year’s draft to Orlando, but they only move down three spots in the draft to No. 18, and they land Beal, who they were interested in not too long ago! They also snag a 23-year-old rookie wing in Kris Murray, who will probably wind up being decent there somehow because “HEAT CULTURE.”

Finally, Orlando moves up three spots in the draft and adds Brogdon to run their offense at the cost of Wendell Carter Jr. and that extra 2025 first-rounder from Denver.

Again, the Suns aren’t trading Beal, but this hypothetical deal would send him to the most likely destination for him to waive his no-trade clause, while satisfying most of the parties involved. Portland gets a bevy of picks to bolster their youth movement, Miami lands Beal, and Orlando gets its floor general.

With that being said, the Magic might say no to this type of deal unless they’re high on Brogdon, and even if they really liked him, they’d still have to go out and find a starting center after this move. The Heat may not have as much interest in Beal after a down season in Phoenix, and the Blazers may prefer to stay patient. Murray wasn’t overly impressive, but he’s still only a rookie, and Portland might not be ready to cash out on Grant and Brogdon in one fell swoop.

This deal only works if Portland and Miami remain in the first tax apron, so that’s another thing to keep an eye on.

As you can see, even without the no-trade clause, the options for Bradley Beal trades are pretty limited. Barring something outlandish, Phoenix is far better off running it back, tweaking around the margins, and counting on better chemistry under a new head coach.