Phoenix Suns wingman Bradley Beal holds a unique position with a no-trade clause in his contract, requiring his approval for any potential trade. This could complicate matters for the Suns' front office, which is reportedly aiming to make a splash in the trade market.
However, the Suns might be able to trade Beal away to one of four teams. On Monday, Arizona Sports' John Gambadoro reported that Beal would waive his no-trade clause to join the LA Clippers, LA Lakers, Denver Nuggets or the Miami Heat.
Beal's willingness to be traded to the Miami Heat aligns with the Phoenix Suns' governor Mat Ishbia's desire to acquire Jimmy Butler.
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On the other hand, Butler has formally requested a trade from the Heat, a request that Miami appears willing to fulfill. The Heat have suspended Butler for seven games while they listen to offers from other teams for the six-time NBA All-Star.
Financially, a one-to-one trade between Bradley Beal and Jimmy Butler will work. Assuming he opts out of his player option no matter where he lands, Butler is in the final year of his contract. This year, the Heat star has a cap hit of $48,798,677, per Sportrac. Meanwhile, Beal's is $50,203,930.
However, Beal technically has two more years to go on his deal. He remains under contract for the 2025-26 season and has a player option for the 2026-27 campaign.
Phoenix Suns are reportedly making changes to their starting lineup by sending Bradley Beal to the bench
The Phoenix Suns, who are on a four-game losing streak, are trying to right the ship by making drastic changes to the starting lineup, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes. These changes reportedly involve sending Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic to the bench. In exchange, 12-year veteran Mason Plumlee and 2024 28th overall pick Ryan Dunn will start.
These lineup changes are set to come into effect when the Suns take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday.
Beal has been a starter in the NBA since his rookie debut with the Washington Wizards in 2012. That season, he started 46 of the 56 games he played.
The fewest games he started in a season was 35 during the 2015-16 campaign when he appeared in only 55 games due to injuries. From 2016-17 through 2023-24, Beal started every game he was eligible to play, including back-to-back seasons in 2017-18 and 2018-19, where he started all 82 regular-season games.
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