"What season of succession is this from?"- NBA fans call out Suns GM and his father for conspiring to trade Bradley Beal to Phoenix

Bradley Beal's trade to the Phoenix Suns appeared to involve some family business between parties involved in the negotiations. His agent Mark Bartelstein happens to be the father of Suns' CEO Josh Bartelstein.

The two sides are finalizing a trade that could also involve a third team to facilitate a move for Chris Paul to a contender instead of the rebuilding Washington Wizards. Surprisingly, the Wizards settled for a trade without acquiring a first-round pick. The Suns have decided to include Landry Shamet, multiple second-round picks, and pick swaps as part of that deal, along with CP3.

NBA fans have generated a theory that the Bartelstein father-son duo may have conspired to make this trade go through. That theory sparked more with the Wizards settling for the move without a single first-rounder in this deal.

It didn't take long for them to take to Twitter to express their thoughts on this potential conspiracy after learning about Bartelsteins' relationship. One fan wrote:

"What season of succession is this from?"

More reactions followed:

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Bradley Beal's no-trade clause and hefty salary may have forced Wizards to settle for less

Bradley Beal signed a five-year, $251 million max extension last offseason. The Washington Wizards should've ideally traded him instead of offering him that deal if they planned to rebuild this season. Beal hasn't played at an All-Star caliber level since signing the extension.

That contract has also made him difficult to get traded, with teams refusing to take his $200 million salary over the next four seasons. The Wizards also included a no-trade clause, allowing Beal to choose his preferred landing spot. He picked the Phoenix Suns over the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks.

The Suns already exhausted their first-round picks in the deal to add Kevin Durant last trade deadline. However, due to Beal's ability to veto a trade and the new CBA rules also coming into effect fully from the 2024-25 season, the Wizards had no option but to settle for less.

They managed to get Beal's contract off this summer, which may have likely been difficult to do next year. Some fans believe this was a conspiracy by Mark and Josh Bartelstein, but there were practical and logical reasons behind the Wizards not having the power to negotiate for more than what they will get in the trade.