The Phoenix Suns are looking to find a way to trade Bradley Beal to a team who wants his contract and skill for a Playoff push. The team is trying everything they can to acquire Jimmy Butler, but they can’t do anything until they find a destination for Beal.
With rumors of the Milwaukee Bucks potentially being interested in Beal, trusted Suns reporter John Gambodaro has confirmed that Beal would be open to a trade to the Bucks.
Gambodaro was the same source who revealed earlier this month that Beal turned down a trade to the Bucks when he joined the Suns in the 2023 offseason.
“As for Beal the no-trade looms large. He could have went to Milwaukee before he ended up in Phoenix but that was turned down. Have heard he would waive no trade for LA, Miami, Denver but I do believe there are a few others that he could ultimately decide work for him.”
Beal is averaging xx this season. The Bucks would likely move on from Khris Middleton as well as either Bobby Portis Jr. or Brook Lopez if they wanted to acquire Beal. That move doesn’t make a lot of sense to me personally, as a backcourt with Beal and Damian Lillard has the potential of being a completely redundant pairing.
If I was the Bucks, I’d look elsewhere, but even they don’t have the asset flexibility to look elsewhere when they could potentially get a few first-round picks for acquiring Beal’s contract.
Negotiations For A 4-Team Trade Are Ongoing
The trade market is getting more and more interesting as we approach the February 6 deadline. The Suns have already made two trades in January – first acquiring Nick Richards from the Charlotte Hornets before trading their 2031 first-round pick for three picks from the Utah Jazz.
Reputed Miami Heat insider Ira Winderman has revealed that the Suns trade for picks is directly related to their pursuit of Jimmy Butler, with a potential four-team (or more) deal on the verge of being confirmed.
“According to a source familiar with Heat’s plans this is one of the steps toward a Jimmy Butler trade. Picks plus likely a pair of players then would come to the Heat for Jimmy, in what will be at least a four-team deal and, quite possibly, more than that.”
This revelation coupled with Brian Windhorst revealing his sources were in the middle of trade negotiations for Butler on Friday shows how quickly this situation is developing.
“I had a team on Friday call me and say, ‘Hey, this team is trying to dump some salary…’ They all of a sudden had to end our phone call to go do something ‘bigger’… I speculate that it has to do with (Jimmy) Butler and not just a direct Butler trade, but 3 and 4-team trades.”
The trade for the Jazz picks went down just a few hours ago and is considered to be a deal to maximize the value of the 2031 first-round pick, which many consider one of the most valuable picks in the NBA right now given the Suns’ bleak future asset situation. Jazz GM Danny Ainge happily parted with three picks belonging to competitive teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves for this.
The Suns will likely use these picks instantly in a deal to either move off Beal with a pick for a salary dump while also allowing the Suns to send a pick to the Heat for Jimmy Butler as well.
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