Two is apparently down to one, as ESPN’s Woj reported Sunday evening that the Wizards and Suns are finalizing a deal to send Bradley Beal to Phoenix, one day after they reportedly “emerged as a serious threat for Beal.”
Per Woj, the deal will see Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, multiple second-round picks, and some pick swaps coming back to DC. Phoenix does not have any first-round picks to give, as they dealt all of their currently-available first-round capital to Brooklyn in the Kevin Durant deal. They have one second-round pick in each of the next six years, this year’s being No. 52.
The deal may not be completed for several days, with Woj further reporting that the Wizards may be shopping Paul to find a three-team trade that will give him a chance to land with a contender; any trade guarantees that $25.1 million of his 2023-24 salary of $30.8 million, so the Wizards could either try to spin him off or discuss a buyout.
Paul and Shamet ($10.25 million) roughly offset Beal’s $36,741,590 salary, but both players, if they stay in DC, could be one-and-done. Paul has two years left and Shamet three on their respective deals, but both have clauses in their contracts that no future money is guaranteed if they are waived by next June.
"This was an extremely complicated process with so many different hurdles to get through, and Ted Leonsis and Michael Winger were unbelievable partners in making this happen," Beal's agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, told Woj. "From the day that Ted drafted Brad he has been by our side along with [former general managers] Ernie Grunfeld and Tommy Sheppard. They've always had Brad's back in every way and now we have experienced the exact same thing with Ted and Michael Winger. We are extremely grateful."
Bartelstein is also the father of Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein, so it’s not hard to see how Phoenix emerged as a contender, a co-favorite, and now, reportedly, the final destination. Suns owner Mat Ishbia has okayed both the Durant and Beal deals, giving the Suns $163 million in salary committed to Booker, Durant, Beal and Ayton for the 2023-24 season – meaning the team will likely have to fill out their roster spots with minimum-salary players or veteran exemptions.
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The big questions now for the Wizards are who to draft at No. 8, and then see what Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis do about their one-year player options.
No matter how it’s sliced, though, this Beal deal potentially completely resets the Wizards after next season, with a few extra pieces of draft capital thrown in. Counting Paul and Shamet’s loopholes, the only guaranteed money on the books in 2024-25 is the $15.4 million owed to Daniel Gafford and Xavier Cooks, with Deni Avdija due a qualifying offer and team options on four other players.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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