Should the Phoenix Suns Have Traded For Bradley Beal
Recently, the Phoenix Suns made a blockbuster trade to add Bradley Beal to their stacked roster. This move finally put an end to Beal’s time with the Wizards, where he has spent the entirety of his eleven-year NBA career.
During his prime in Washington, Beal was one of the best scorers in the league, however, it would never lead to wins. Outside of John Wall before he went through a string of serious injuries, Beal has never had elite teammates in Washington. However, he will now be joining a star-studded roster with the Suns that currently features Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Deandre Ayton.
Despite Beal still being a premier scorer and one of the top talents in the league, the question has been raised of if it was the right move for the Suns to trade for him. The deal sent Chris Paul, Landry Shamet multiple second-round picks, and multiple pick swaps to Washington, and in return, the Suns received Beal, Jordan Goodwin, and Isaiah Todd.
While the Suns did not have to give up much to add Beal to their roster, he is a questionable fit on the team. While he is an elite scorer, Beal is by no means a talented defender. With the Suns already having premier scorers in Booker and Durant, it will be very interesting to see if Beal is forced to make adjustments to his game. With the Wizards being nowhere near sniffing the playoffs in recent years, this could be an explanation as to why his defense is lackluster at best, however, if he is unable to flip the switch after joining the Suns, the team could be one of the worst in the league on the defensive end.
In the playoffs, the downfall of the Suns was their lack of depth. With Ayton and Paul injured and the Suns having one of the worst benches in the league, the Nuggets made quick work of them in the Western Conference Semifinals. It was clear that Paul was not going to be brought back to the team for the 2023-24 season, however, there is a strong chance that Phoenix could have traded him for a couple of pieces for their bench rather than adding another costly star player to the mix.
Currently, the Suns have less than eight players under contract, however, they are already hard-pressed for cap space. Unless they are able to convince some quality veterans to join the roster on the minimum, Phoenix will likely once again not have the depth necessary for a deep playoff run.
However, with Beal, they will be one of the best teams in the league on the offensive end and will be an extremely difficult team to try to outscore. With Ayton likely to be moved this offseason as well, there is a strong chance that the Suns’ front office will attempt to trade him for some bench pieces.
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