The Phoenix Suns are in the middle of their win-now window, with most of their future mortgaged through multiple trades to create a win-now situation around Devin Booker. Kevin Durant isn’t a spring chicken either and is known to look for new challenges faster than any other NBA superstar, so the team needs to make win-now moves to help their franchise continue to contend but with a new formula.
The fit of a Devin Booker and Bradley Beal backcourt has looked extremely unconvincing, with both players having similar play styles that have been hard to mesh together, despite Booker’s best efforts in becoming more of a point guard.
Beal’s overpriced contract and declining status have put the Suns in a spot, but can they find a way out of it with a blockbuster deal that sees two teams essentially swap bad salaries?
Trade Details
Phoenix Suns Receive: Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic
Chicago Bulls Receive: Bradley Beal, Jusuf Nurkic, 2026 Second-Round Pick (DEN), 2031 Second-Round Pick (DEN)
The Bulls have found a dead trade market for Zach LaVine due to his contract while Beal’s contract is considered one of the worst in the NBA. Both Jusuf Nurkic and Nikola Vucevic have similar contracts as well, so the Suns could move off both while adding a new dimension to their roster for a minimal draft price.
The Suns Shake It Up To Improve
The Suns have made some interesting moves this summer, primarily the acquisition of Tyus Jones and the drafting of defensive wing Ryan Dunn. To maximize the signing of Jones, the team needs to have scoring threats who are comfortable off the ball as well. While we have seen Booker and Durant do that, Beal looked inconsistent in a system like that last season.
Zach LaVine is a better off-ball scorer, averaging 24.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in the 2022-23 campaign when he wasn’t injured. He struggled with injuries last season but is expected to be fully healthy to start the 2024-25 season. LaVine can be a microwave scorer without dominating the ball, which would allow Booker to continue growing as an on-ball creator, with LaVine and Durant as wing-scoring options.
The one-time LaVine was on a winning Bulls team (2021-22), he played more than acceptable defense before regressing in a major way as the Bulls fell from contention. If he can be motivated to find that part of himself with a reduced offensive load, LaVine could be a tremendous asset and could become a valuable get, although on an overpriced contract.
Nikola Vucevic averaged 18.0 points and 10.5 rebounds last season, operating as a perfectly decent offensive center who competes on both ends. Vucevic’s production is more consistent than what the Suns got out of Nurkic and this could be a lateral deal with more potential upside than bringing Nurkic back for another season.
The Chicago Bulls Bring New Veteran Energy Into The Team
The Chicago Bulls need to commit to a downward direction but the team is clearly hesitant to do so when seeds No. 7 through No. 10 are attainable in the East by any team willing to compete for it. With the addition of Josh Giddey to the team, they can add a solid scorer to their lineup with Beal, who can also serve as a mentor to young guard Coby White. Beal averaged 18.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists last season.
Starting Giddey after the performances we saw from his last season could be a risky bet for the Bulls, so a backcourt of White and Beal will provide lots of entertaining basketball for fans while even being competitive. Similarly, the addition of Jusuf Nurkic will lead to a veteran center who is renowned for his ability to play in guard-heavy systems. He averaged 10.9 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists last season.
The relationship between the Bulls and LaVine has broken down in recent seasons, with LaVine publicly angling for a trade. Instead of bringing a troublesome figure like LaVine back to the franchise for another season, they can trade that energy out for a player like Beal, who’s a consummate professional.
Getting Beal to accept a trade to Chicago would be a challenge, but given the opportunity to play free basketball while being in a top-tier market, the Suns could convince Beal to accept the deal, especially if he isn’t wanted on the roster anymore.
What Grade Should This Trade Be?
Overall Grade Of The Trade: C
This is a lateral move for both franchises, with the Suns likely getting a slightly stronger deal because of the potential upside of LaVine within their system. Outside of that, the contract woes these players bring will continue holding their franchises back from making moves to either shed salary or tank if required.
Phoenix Suns: B-
This trade should be acceptable to the Suns, primarily because LaVine is a player who’s not on a no-trade clause while having a smaller dollar hit than Beal every season. Their contracts expire at the same time in 2027, so neither would be coming off the books anytime soon. While LaVine is more injury-prone, he’s younger and has a complementary offensive style to what the Suns required with higher defensive potential as well.
Vucevic might be a slight downgrade to Nurkic due to Nurk’s passing ability, but he adds offensive flair from the middle which is required in a tall Western Conference. The pick equity doesn’t mean much, as those were picks they acquired to swap first-round picks with the Nuggets in the 2024 Draft which landed them Ryan Dunn anyway.
Chicago Bulls: C-
There’s very little merit in accepting this deal from the Bulls’ side. The one intangible incentive is just making a change after a rough era in the franchise, as all their all-in moves from 2021 failed to materialize into anything special. With DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso gone, it makes little sense to keep LaVine and Vucevic on without hard feelings, especially with LaVine.
Acquiring Beal could work out on the court as he could be a solid mentor to Coby White provided he buys into life on the Bulls. However, that also means the Bulls acquire a player with a no-trade clause, taking away any future optionality of moving off him. Nurkic could generate solid value in a short-term flip, but this deal would ensure the Bulls have Beal in their future plans in some capacity, which might not be ideal.
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