Wizards star Bradley Beal recently sat down on the “Tidal League” podcast, where he spoke on life, his career, and the current state of hoops. During one segment, he reflected on his trade out of the Wizards and revealed that the Milwaukee Bucks were willing to offer one of their own championship players to get a deal done.
“My transition though to Phoenix was like a complete 360. First off, Phoenix wasn’t even in the picture for me to go to,” said Beal. “[The Heat] didn’t want to do it for whatever reason, don’t know why. [The Bucks], I was like straddling the fence. I didn’t like that they were [trying to trade Khris Middleton]. The loyalty part in that, trading somebody who won y’all a championship the previous year and was a key piece to y’all winning the championship, it didn’t sit right with me.”
31-year-old Bradley Beal was drafted third overall by the Wizards in 2012 and he developed into a star for the franchise. Over 11 seasons with the Wizards, he averaged 22.1 points, 4.3 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game on 46% shooting. He signed for over $200 million back in 2022, making himself one of the highest-paid players in his position.
With a shocking lack of playoff success, the Wizards finally pulled the plug on the Beal era in 2023 when they agreed on a trade to send him to the Phoenix Suns for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, six second-round picks, and four picks swaps.
Before the Suns won the sweepstakes, Beal thought he’d end up with the Miami Heat until they got cold feet and called off the pursuit. There were also rumblings about the Warriors making a run for Beal after their miserable season.
Then there’s the Bucks. We know that they eventually settled on Damian Lillard but it seems they were looking to mix it up long before that — so much so that they were willing to part ways with one of their core championship players: Khris Middleton. The 33-year-old veteran played a crucial role in the Bucks’ 2021 title run and played as Giannis’ secondary scorer for years, but it somehow wasn’t enough to guarantee his future with the team.
In the end, while the Bucks avoided trading Middleton, they did give up their trusted two-way point guard Jrue Holiday in exchange for Lillard and it’s a move they may come to regret if the former Trail Blazers guard does not find his way again.
As for Beal, he saw first-hand how far loyalty goes in the NBA. After going out of his way to build a home for himself in D.C., they traded him without remorse and the Bucks almost did the same for their own championship veteran.
With the Suns, Beal has a fresh start and a clean slate to accomplish his greatest ambitions and the odds for success have never been better alongside Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and a deep cast of experienced role-players.
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