The Bradley Beal trade rumors are heating up big-time, as NBA insider Shams Charania tweeted Saturday that the Wizards are now in “serious talks” with two finalists – Miami, who was a known suitor, and Phoenix, which “has emerged as a serious threat for Beal.”
Miami, which just reached its second NBA Finals in four seasons, was rumored as an early contender, and according to The Athletic, their offer for Beal is the expiring contract of Kyle Lowry, Duncan Robinson (who has two more guaranteed years and a 2025-26 player option), and “multiple” first-round picks.
The Heat would be sending $47,836,540 to DC in the deal, so salaries basically off-set (Beal will make $46,741,590 in 2023-24), so the question would be how many picks; Miami has the No. 18 pick this year, and they only have full control over their picks in 2024, 2027, 2028, and 2029; their 2025 pick is Top 14 protected, but will convey to Oklahoma City if not in the Top 14 – and if it is in the Top 14, their 2026 pick goes to OKC without condition instead.
As teams cannot fully trade picks in consecutive years via the “Stepien Rule,” and teams can only trade picks seven years out, the package, would likely have to include 2023 and a conditional combo of 2027 and 2029.
Phoenix, meanwhile, has two reported packages on the table, per David Aldridge of The Athletic: either DeAndre Ayton (three guaranteed years, $32,459,438 in 2023-24) and additional cap filler or Chris Paul and Landry Shamet, who could both be one-and-done in DC even though they have two and three years left on their respective deals.
The latter may be the preferred package financially – Paul would have to be guaranteed $25.1 million of his 2023-24 salary of $30.8 million to be dealt, and Shamet is guaranteed his $10.25 million, but both could be waived at the end of next season with no more money guaranteed, freeing up that $41 million – but because Phoenix can’t include a first-round pick (they sent 2023, 25, 27, and 29 to Brooklyn for Kevin Durant), Ayton and Shamet or other filler, as well as some second-round picks, may be the better basketball play.
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That, however, would complicate things with the other two members of the Wizards’ Big 3, Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis, who, if both opted in, would give the team three bigs making over $80 million combined for one year. Kuzma is likely to get closer to his $12 million salary than Porzingis would his $36 million in free agency, further complicating the issue.
That seems to make Phoenix a longshot, but remember one other thing: Beal’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, is the father of Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein, so things could be made to work.
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