BREAKING: The Washington Wizards are trading three-time All-Star Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, second-rounders

[FakeNews]

Silly season has begun

 

[FAH1223]

The Washington Wizards, as The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported earlier Saturday, are seriously contemplating trade offers for three-time All-Star guard Bradley Beal from the Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns.

According to league sources, who were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the trade talks, Miami would send guards Kyle Lowry and Duncan Robinson, along with multiple first-round picks, to Washington for Beal. Phoenix would send center Deandre Ayton and additional cap filler or include future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul and Landry Shamet to the Wizards for Beal.


The offers indicate a rapid escalation in trade talks for Beal, who has agreed with the Wizards to help facilitate a trade if Washington decides a radical reset of its roster is in order before Thursday’s NBA draft. Wizards governor Ted Leonsis has given his blessing to his team’s new management structure, headed by president of Monumental Basketball Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins, to do whatever it deems necessary to revamp the team, which went 35-47 this past season and missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five years. Leonsis fired former GM Tommy Sheppard in late April.

Beal negotiated a no-trade clause, the only one currently in the NBA, with the Wizards before signing his five-year, $251 million maximum-salary deal with the team last summer, and must approve any potential trade Washington makes with another team, limiting the potential deals the Wizards could make for the 29-year-old. Beal is coming off of one of his most efficient seasons in his career, averaging 23.2 points, 5.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds last season. He shot better than 50 percent last season for the first time in his career, and his .365 percentage on 3-pointers was his highest in the last five years.

While the Wizards would prefer guard Tyler Herro to be in any potential trade with Miami, the Heat, for now, are trying to keep Herro out of the deal, offering Robinson instead. Beal would give Miami a needed additional scorer to go with Jimmy Butler, Herro and center Bam Adebayo. The Heat are believed to be among Beal’s most preferred teams for a trade.

Dawkins has a prior relationship with Paul dating back to CP3’s season (2019-20) in Oklahoma City with the Thunder, when he helped lead OKC to an unexpected playoff run, where the Thunder lost a tough seven-game series with the Rockets in the first round in the bubble at Disney. Dawkins spent 15 seasons in Oklahoma City’s front office before taking the GM job in Washington.


Ayton, the first pick overall in the 2018 draft, has fallen out of favor in Phoenix, even though the Suns matched the four-year, $132.9 million offer sheet Ayton received last year from the Indiana Pacers. Ayton and former coach Monty Williams had a chilly relationship, with Williams benching Ayton during Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals series with Dallas in 2022. The Suns hired ex-Lakers, Magic and Pacers coach Frank Vogel earlier this month, but that does not appear to have significantly improved their relationship with the 24-year-old Ayton, who averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds this past season for Phoenix.

Acquiring Ayton would likely complicate any chances the Wizards retain their current starting center, Kristaps Porziņģis, who faces a deadline this coming Wednesday on whether or not to opt in on his player option for the 2023-24 season, at $36 million. If Porziņģis declines his player option, he would become an unrestricted free agent next month.

The Suns told Paul earlier this month that they would work with him to resolve his future, whether through a trade, waiver or re-signing him in Phoenix to a smaller deal after being waived. The 38-year-old point guard has two years remaining on the four-year, $120 million contract he signed in 2021. But only $15.8 million of the $30.8 million he’s due for the 2023-24 season is guaranteed if Paul is waived before June 28, while none of the $30 million Paul is due in 2024-25 is guaranteed if he is waived before June 28, 2024. So Washington would only be on the hook for the guaranteed $15.8 million this year on its salary cap if it acquired Paul for Beal, but then waived him before the 28th of this year.

 

[MarcP]

From Ethan Skolnick

This is the latest I’ve got, after cobbling together a few Beal-related conversations:
— Herro not in Wizards deal
— Lowry is
— Robinson or Oladipo would be; Heat prefer Oladipo
— Jovic. Highsmith, #18 pick and future highly protected first would be the other options to fill it out, with the wizards wanting BOTH Jovic and Highsmith and the Heat reluctant to do that far.
— Suns trying to fill out their offer with second rounders due to their shortage of firsts

Was just told to expect renewed 76ers interest in hometown guy Kyle Lowry IF he's included in a trade to a team that is willing to buy him out rather than hold his expiring contract. But again, as Greg keeps saying, everything is fluid. -- ejs

 

[firemanBk]

Love how the only picture they could get of Booker and Beal is of Booker trying to bait a foul

 

[KnickstapeCity]

what an outrageous position the Wizards have found themselves in - having to give away their max player a year into his contract for basically nothing material in return - and also having the player dictate the team he goes too. what a joke

Fukking Caczay

 

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

Wonder if pat told spo to limit highsmith and jovic in the playoffs with this on the horizon. They heavily protected highsmith to the point of people wondering why he wasnt playing

 

[steph_harden]

The man who signed him to that contract, Tommy Sheppard, is fired.

The new guys Michael Winger and Will Dawkins have been dealt a bad hand.

Bless Tommy Sheppard

Took care of everyone around the league…except his own organization.

 

[Kang Deezy]

Wonder if pat told spo to limit highsmith and jovic in the playoffs with this on the horizon. They heavily protected highsmith to the point of people wondering why he wasnt playing

That’s one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard that didn’t come out of Kendrick Perkins’ mouth

 

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

That’s one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard that didn’t come out of Kendrick Perkins’ mouth

Highsmith stock was at its peak. He didnt play enough to get exposed or injured. Him playing wouldnt have made the difference in the heat winning or losing the series.

Do you logic at all

 

[GoldenGlove]

what an outrageous position the Wizards have found themselves in - having to give away their max player a year into his contract for basically nothing material in return - and also having the player dictate the team he goes too. what a joke

I'm reading these trade proposals and I'm appalled. Mid talent and heavily protected 1sts for Beal? Miami insisting on not including Herro etc, man gtfoh.

This is bullshyt

 

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

I'm reading these trade proposals and I'm appalled. Mid talent and heavily protected 1sts for Beal? Miami insisting on not including Herro etc, man gtfoh.

This is bullshyt

Beal can block the trade if the wizards ask for too much from whatever team he is going to. This is why you see offers that look stupid

 

[GoldenGlove]

Highsmith stock was at its peak. He didnt play enough to get exposed or injured. Him playing wouldnt have made the difference in the heat winning or losing the series.

Do you logic at all

Him playing well in the Finals makes it easier to pull this trade off.

 

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

Him playing well in the Finals makes it easier to pull this trade off.

Yes, also makes it easier for Miami to try and keep Jovic, which to me seems to be an audacious request by Riley. If I was Washington I'd hang up the phone and ship him to Phoenix

 

[MarcP]

I'm reading these trade proposals and I'm appalled. Mid talent and heavily protected 1sts for Beal? Miami insisting on not including Herro etc, man gtfoh.

This is bullshyt

You gotta take what they give you or you sit on that contract and let him walk for nothing if he's unwilling to waive his NTC for anybody except the Heat

 

[GoldenGlove]

Yes, also makes it easier for Miami to try and keep Jovic, which to me seems to be an audacious request by Riley. If I was Washington I'd hang up the phone and ship him to Phoenix

Oh I agree. I'm telling Miami to go fukk themselves and continue on their journey of finding undrafted talent and overachieving in the Playoffs