Bradley Beal Traded: Wizards Star Joins Phoenix Suns in NBA Shake-Up

Years of uncertainty surrounding Bradley Beal's future in Washington came to an end on Sunday when the Wizards agreed to sell him to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, several second-round selections, and various pick swaps. Beal will waive his no-trade clause to enable the transaction, which might take several days to finalize. 

Bradley Beal joins a powerful Suns squad led by Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Phoenix also keeps centre Deandre Ayton in this transaction, and it's possible that he'll be traded later this summer to help the team's depth.

The Suns seemed to go all-in at the trade deadline last season when they acquired Durant, but they were able to take advantage of the low price for Beal to add yet another All-Star to their team. In terms of sheer talent, there's little doubt the Suns improved on Sunday.

Chris Paul was supposedly taken aback by the rumoured arrangement. In an appearance on Monday's programme of "Good Morning America" in New York, Paul said that he learned about the arrangement while travelling to the show.

However, the Pheonix Suns were one of the disappointing squads for the season and got eliminated by the Jokic-led Denver Nuggets in 6 games at the Western Conference Semi-Finals, where CP3 went down with an injury.

However, the fit looks to be uncomfortable as well. Beal frequently shoots from the midrange. The same as Devin Booker. The same as Kevin Durant. Booker and Durant are both capable three-point shooters. Surprisingly, Beal has deteriorated as a three-point shooter. In each of his first five seasons, he hit at least 38% from three-point range. He has only reached 36% once in the last four years. He's also a player with a high use rate.

Wizards, in the 2012 NBA Draft, the franchise selected Beal as the third overall pick. Beal showed early potential in his career, earning the NBA's All-Rookie team after averaging 13.9 points in his rookie season. After a couple of strong years, Beal elevated his game during the 2016-17 NBA season. He averaged 23.1 points per game and helped the Wizards finish fourth in the Eastern Conference. Beal continued to produce, making the All-Star team in three of his following four seasons and averaging a career-high 31.3 points during the 2020-21 NBA season.

The Suns now boast one of the NBA's most explosive scoring trios, but as Durant saw in Brooklyn, that can only take a club so far. Phoenix must now assemble a full lineup around its three studs. With a new CBA restricting what they can accomplish, it won't be easy, but very few teams have ever had the top-tier talent that the Suns have currently. That puts them in the championship picture regardless of what happens next.