Debating How Poorly Phoenix Suns’ Trade for Bradley Beal has Aged

There are certainly days where fans of the Phoenix Suns organization ponder what could have been made of the historic run from 2020-23.

The franchise reached the NBA Finals, earned a single-season franchise record of 64 victories, and won five playoff series during this time. 

Unfortunately, Phoenix also made moves that backfired in the most profound of ways in response to the three season run.

Freshly installed franchise governor Mat Ishbia saw an opportunity to surround franchise player Devin Booker and 2014 NBA MVP Kevin Durant with another elite player in an effort to counter the direction that the current league was shifting. 

The trade for former scoring champion Bradley Beal hasn't aged well - to say the least. Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes seconds this claim, as he ranks the trade for Beal as the second worst over the last five years.

"The Beal acquisition rates worse than the Durant one because the former wasn't healthy or productive with the Suns and ultimately had to be waived and stretched. Phoenix got zero assets for cutting Beal loose and will pay him $19.4 million every year through 2029-30."

The biggest fallout from this trade - as mentioned above - is that Phoenix is still committing dead money to Beal for the next four seasons, while also being unable to recoup any of the assets they lost to make the move in the first place. This isn't the only issue, however. 

Beal's presence in Phoenix was an awkward fit from the start of his tenure. He battled through a nagging back injury while trying to integrate into a lineup that he didn't naturally fit in. Year two proved to be an even more disastrous one fit-wise, as head coach Mike Budenholzer had no answers when it came to properly utilizing the former lottery pick in an effective manner. 

The Suns can also be questioned for opting to trade for Beal to begin with. The summer of 2023 is one that Phoenix could have theoretically made a trade push for 2018 MVP James Harden during. There's no guarantee that this pairing would have worked either, but the Arizona State alum would have come at a significantly cheaper price, and also would have fulfilled the need for an elite playmaker that Beal simply couldn't provide. 

While the past must be reflected on to avoid making the same mistakes, the Suns are moving forward with a promising young core and Booker in the hopes of capturing their first-ever title in the coming years.