The Washington Wizards have dealt All-Star guard Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns in a move that shakes up the Western Conference.
The Wizards, Suns and Indiana Pacers all officially announced the move on June 24. In the deal the Suns pick up Beal for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, four future first-round pick swaps and six future second-round picks.
The Pacers are also a part of the trade, as they send Bilal Coulibaly (the No. 7 pick in the 2023 Draft) to the Wizards for Jarace Walker (No. 8 pick) and land two future second-round picks.
The biggest domino to fall in the trade was Beal waiving his no-trade clause to be sent to the Suns, his agent, Mark Bartelstein, said last Sunday.
Suns get:
Wizards get:
- Chris Paul
- Landry Shamet
- Bilal Coulibaly (No. 7 pick, via Pacers)
- 2024 first-round pick swap
- 2024 second-round pick
- 2025 second-round pick
- 2026 first-round pick swap
- 2026 second-round pick
- 2027 second-round pick
- 2028 first-round pick swap
- 2028 second-round pick
- 2030 first-round pick swap
- 2030 second-round pick
Pacers get:
- Jarace Walker (No. 8 pick, via Wizards)
- Future second-round pick (via Wizards)
- Future second-round pick (via Suns)
“Bradley Beal is one of the best players in the NBA and brings so much to our team including incredible work ethic, great character, and the mindset of a champion,” Suns owner Mat Ishbia said in a statement.
“We are committed to bringing an NBA championship to Phoenix and I could not be more excited about how this organization is coming together heading into the upcoming season.”
Paul was not with the Wizards long, though. Per multiple reports Thursday, Paul was being dealt to the Golden State Warriors for Jordan Poole, Ryan Rollins, a second-round pick in 2027 and a protected first-round pick in 2030. That deal has yet to be made official.
The reported deal to Washington caught Paul off guard. In an interview on Monday’s episode of “Good Morning America” in New York, Paul said he found out about the deal while he was traveling to be on the show.
“I was surprised, too,” Paul said with a laugh. “I found out on the plane yesterday flying here. In this league, anything can happen. Just figure out what’s next.”
Paul came to the desert in 2020, bringing instant credibility to the Suns, who had languished near the bottom of the standings for the better part of a decade. The point guard formed a formidable backcourt with Devin Booker, and the Suns came agonizingly close to a championship, winning the first two games of the NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021 before losing the next four.
The Suns were also good in the past two regular seasons, but suffered back-to-back embarrassing playoff exits on their home floor.
“We are grateful for everything Chris and Landry added to our organization,” Suns GM James Jones said in a statement. “Chris had an immeasurable impact on our team, on and off the court, and we thank him for all he did for the Valley.”
That was apparently enough for Ishbia to decide that wholesale changes needed to be made.
Ishbia — who took over control of the team from the embattled Robert Sarver in February — hasn’t been shy about making big moves, even before their latest playoff exit. The Suns landed Kevin Durant for a massive combination of players and first-round draft picks just days after formally taking over the Suns in February.
The bold move failed to produce a championship, so Ishbia continued his overhaul.
The Suns recently fired coach Monty Williams, who was the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 2022, and brought in Frank Vogel, who led the Lakers to a title in the Florida bubble in 2020. Now the team is moving on from the 38-year-old Paul and bringing in Beal, a three-time All-Star, who has averaged 23.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists in his 10-year career.
This reported trade is also the start of something new, and probably needed, in Washington. The Wizards have finished with a losing record in each of the last five seasons, missing the playoffs in four of those, and haven’t won a postseason series since 2018. The Wizards will pick eighth in Thursday’s draft, and Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis could decide later this week to become free agents by declining player options — moves that seem likely.
The deal was struck less than a week after Denver topped Miami in the NBA Finals, and with the Heat having also spent the last few days working with the Wizards on the possibility of acquiring Beal.
There are three active players in the NBA with at least 500 games played while averaging at least 22 points per game. Phoenix now has three of them in Beal, Durant and Booker. They will make about $130 million combined next season, meaning the Suns will pay a ransom in salary and tax for this title shot.
Beal is entering the second year of what could be a five-year, $251 million contract; the last of those years is at his option and would pay him $57.1 million. Over the next four years, he’s owed about $207.7 million.
“Bradley leaves a legacy and impact that will continue to be felt by those he helped during the 11 seasons we watched him develop into a cornerstone of our on-court and off-court efforts,” Monumental Sports & Entertainment Founder and CEO Ted Leonsis said in a statement. “We appreciate and respect the place he holds in our franchise’s history and we’re proud that he established himself as a star player, community leader and family man in Washington, D.C.”
Paul, a 12-time All-Star and member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, averaged a career-low 13.9 points last season to go along with 8.9 assists and 1.5 steals over 59 games. The 37-year-old guard has two seasons remaining on the four-year deal he signed with Phoenix in 2021 after helping lead the team to the NBA Finals.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
