Winners and Losers from Suns and Wizards' Bradley Beal Trade

The Phoenix Suns made a splash on Father's Day by finalizing a trade to acquire Washington Wizards guard and three-time All-Star Bradley Beal.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the deal on Sunday.

The details of the deal, first shared by The Athletic's Shams Charania, include the Suns sending Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, "a handful of second-round picks" and pick swaps.

Given earlier reporting that Phoenix was a finalist for Beal, the trade itself wasn't terribly surprising. What he went for, however, probably is for some.

To sort through the aftermath of this latest "Woj Bomb," we'll use the tried and true "winners and losers exercise."

Despite what a trade package that essentially comes down to salary-matching fodder says about Beal's trade value around the league, he clearly emerges from this as a winner.

For one thing, being the only player in the league with a no-trade clause allowed him to have a say in (or perhaps even dictate) this entire process.

Washington didn't get a first for Beal, but that may simply be because any teams that offered one weren't on Beal's list of preferred destinations (assuming he had one).

If Beal indicated to the Wizards that he'd only go to Phoenix, they pretty much had to take whatever was offered or continue paying the behemoth contract (which pays Beal $46.7 million in 2023-24 and escalates up to $57.1 million in a player option year in 2026-27).

Instead of being stuck in a situation that wasn't going to benefit team or player all that much, Beal is now on a title contender (or at least a borderline one) with two other mid-range maestros in Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.

Never mind the potential overlap and skill set of those three, there's a level of firepower there that few teams can match. And Durant's ability to scale his game for any situation should help with the inevitable feeling-out phase that's coming.

It'll take some time for the Suns to figure out the shot distribution, depth around these three, what to do with Deandre Ayton and how to build a title-level defense, but that's almost certainly a better ride for Beal than more years of mediocrity in Washington.

The Wizards achieved what had to be their ultimate goal in these negotiations. They're no longer on the hook for Beal's massive contract. That's undoubtedly a win.

But the optics after that aren't great.

Washington will presumably explore the possibility of re-routing or waiving Paul. If they do the latter before June 28, only $15.8 million of his salary is guaranteed (compared to $30.8 million), but it looks like the former may be more likely.

And 26-year-old Landry Shamet isn't exactly a young, potential core piece either.

The draft compensation could eventually yield some talent, but the likelihood there isn't strong. They're not getting prime, first-round picks in this deal.

And this underwhelming return can very easily be traced back to the extension negotiations in 2022, when Beal secured his no-trade clause.

The moment that extension was signed, the Wizards pretty much sealed their eventual fate with Beal. They were almost certainly never going to contend for a title with him as their best and highest-paid player, and the no-trade clause gave him control over future trade talks (or at least more control than most players have).

There's obvious value in getting out of the contract now, but the Wizards set themselves up to a lose the Beal trade a year ago.

Now, if the absence of that contract and one of those second-rounders or pick swaps leads to a star and more flexibility to build around him, this could prove wrong in hindsight. But Washington is at least holding part of an L right now.

The Suns' side of this deal is sort of the inverse of Washington's.

In the immediate aftermath of the deal, it's easy to look at them as winners. They're adding a three-time All-Star who's only two years removed from averaging 30-plus points over a two-year span.

They'll have to sort out usage and playmaking responsibilities, but having those three on the floor at the same time will make the Suns a nightmare to slow down. And if any coach can coax a decent defense out of this bunch, it may be 2020 champion Frank Vogel.

But this deal brings almost as many questions as answers for Phoenix.

For one thing, building out the rest of the roster is going to be (understatement incoming) a challenge.

The Suns' lack of depth—in part a result of last season's Durant trade—was already on display in their second-round loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Now, they have $130.4 million committed to Booker, Beal and Durant. The 2023-24 salary cap is projected to be $134 million, with a luxury tax line at $162 million and the dreaded second apron at $179.5 million.

Add Ayton's $32.5 million to that equation, and you're suddenly staring at a seemingly unsolvable jigsaw puzzle with only Cameron Payne (due $6.5 million in 2023-24, with only $2 million guaranteed) and Ish Wainright (on a team option for $1.9 million) under contract.

Is Ayton part of the future? Does he have enough trade value for Phoenix to turn him into multiple contributors?

There's still a lot for the Suns to figure out.

Paul is one of the greatest players of all time and a future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, but this deal serves as a stark reminder of the mortality of professional athletes.

CP3 is 38 years old, and he was essentially a salary dump in a trade to the middling Wizards.

Whether he stays there, gets waived or gets traded somewhere else this summer, he'll be on his sixth team (and fourth in the last seven seasons). And he's been unable to secure his ultimate goal at any of those stops.

No one will ever describe him as a journeyman, but that's kind of what that resume suggests.

On the other hand, if he does find his way to the Los Angeles Clippers or some other contender with plenty of creation already accounted for, Paul could still be in the mix for a championship in 2024.

As he approaches 40, though, his personal title window appears to be closing fast.

If the Miami Heat wind up with Damian Lillard (their new top target, according to Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes), forget this slide ever existed.

Plugging him into the Gabe Vincent-Kyle Lowry role would instantly solidify Miami's contender credentials, which already include two Finals appearances in the last four years.

But for now, as one of the reported finalists for Beal, they almost have to be a loser by default. If they were after him and fell short, they didn't win.

And the Heat felt like one of the only teams in the league that could truly justify taking on that monster contract.

Forget narratives or revisionist history that may attempt to diminish Miami's run, it was just in the Finals. Even after losing in five games, getting that close means you're potentially one or two pieces away.

And if the Heat could've swung a deal sending Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry and some draft consideration to the Wizards for Beal and Monte Morris, they may have had that one piece.

Their offense ran dry in the Finals, and Beal's three-level scoring would've helped. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo could've helped cover for his defensive shortcomings too.

But all of that will remain in the world of hypotheticals. Beal is on the Suns. And Miami is still star-hunting.