The Washington Wizards are finalizing a trade that will send three-time All-Star guard Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, four second-round selections, and a picks swap, according to ESPN.
Mat Ishbia, the new owner of the Suns, has continued to add huge stars to the squad. Beal will join Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, who were acquired by the Suns in a trade deadline deal in February.
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The Miami Heat, who lost in the NBA Finals to the Denver Nuggets, were also interested in Beal, who has a no-trade clause in his five-year, $251 million contract, which expires after the 2026-2027 season.
The exact framework of the deal may take a few days to complete, but Beal is on his way to the Suns to form a new Big 3 alongside Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, according to sources.
Beal’s agency, Priority Sports’ Mark Bartelstein, confirmed to ESPN that a deal with the Suns is in the works.
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With Beal’s arrival and the $207 million remaining on his contract, the Suns will be a second-apron team for at least the next three years, relying heavily on minimum salaries to fill out the roster.
The Suns were eliminated in the second round by the Nuggets and went into the offseason hoping to improve. They also wanted to get out of Paul’s deal, which pays him $30.8 million in 2023-24.
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Beal, 29, is a three-time All-Star and has been named to the 2020-21 NBA All-Star team. He averaged 23.2 points, 5.4 assists, and 3.9 rebounds last season while shooting 50.6% from the field and 36.5% from 3-point range. However, he has only appeared in 90 of 162 games during the last two seasons.