According to Shams Charania, the Washington Wizards are in serious talks with the Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns for a Bradley Beal trade. Beal has a no-trade clause, but he would consider waiving the clause for these two teams.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns' interest in Beal comes as a shock. They have a star duo of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, and Beal isn't the ideal fit. Beal and Booker both play shooting guard and if this trade goes through, Booker may transition to point guard.
They could also run Booker or Beal at small forward, but it would create a small starting lineup. The Suns have two avenues to acquire the three-time All-Star. They could package Deandre Ayton and Landry Shamet for Beal or Chris Paul and Shamet for Beal. The latter is more likely, as Phoenix has discussed waiving, stretching, or trading Paul this offseason. Having three talented guards and no frontcourt depth would also make little sense.
The Suns are star-hunting this offseason as they look to build a more talented team around Durant and Booker. They hired Frank Vogel as their new head coach this offseason, and it will be interesting to see how he would run the rotation if they acquire Beal.
Miami Heat
The other favorite to land Beal is the Heat. Miami is coming off a historic run where they became the 2nd 8th seed in NBA history to reach the NBA Finals. They defeated the one-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, fifth-seeded New York Knicks, and two-seeded Boston Celtics en route to the Finals. Despite Jimmy Butler's incredible playoff run, he couldn't help his team overcome the Denver Nuggets in the Finals. Miami didn't have enough firepower to match Denver.
The Heat are looking to add another star this offseason for more offensive firepower. Beal is one of the guards in the mix for Miami to acquire. The Heat want to keep Herro and use another avenue to acquire Beal. One option is Kyle Lowry, Victor Oladipo, and draft compensation for Beal.
The All-Star guard would give Miami the offensive boost they need. The soon-to-be 30-year-old averaged 23.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists while shooting 50.6 percent from the floor and 36.5 percent from three.
He would fit exceptionally well alongside Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Herro.
Washington's new front office looks ready to move on from Beal this offseason. With his huge contract, they won't yield the same value they would have a few years ago. However, moving off of his contract will open up cap space for the future, which is valuable. The Suns and Heat are the top landing spots, and a trade could be imminent as the NBA Draft approaches on Thursday.
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