Getty Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards.
The Brooklyn Nets’ interest in the latest star seeking a new home could be for naught.
“Developing: Washington is in serious talks with two finalists – Miami [Heat] and Phoenix [Suns] – on a Bradley Beal trade,” tweeted Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium on June 17. “The Suns have emerged as a serious threat for Beal, who holds a no-trade clause.”
Brooklyn’s interest in Beal came to light just one day before Charania’s update on the situation via Bleacher Report NBA insider Chris Haynes on the ‘#thisleague UNCUT’ podcast. And there was some speculation that the Nets could be a team Beal would waive his no-trade clause for to facilitate a deal.
Now, in light of Charania’s new report, Haynes is noting that the outlines of a package to send Beal to the Suns could be in place.
“Phoenix can offer trade package of Deandre Ayton and Landry Shamet to Washington for Bradley Beal,” Haynes tweeted. “But it’s believed a Chris Paul, Shamet deal is what it would take if Beal chose to force his way to Suns via his no-trade clause.”
Haynes’ co-host, Marc Stein of The Stein Line, said Miami was Beal’s preferred destination.
But the bottom line appears to be that the Nets are on the outside looking in with Beal wielding more power than other players thanks to the no-trade clause. This new update further hinders what Washington can get back with Beal’s five-year, $251 million contract already limiting the list of potentially interested teams even without him having the final say.
Nets Content With Continuity
As tough as it may be for Brooklyn to potentially be out of the running so soon, Nets general manager Sean Marks has already made it clear that he is in no rush to make another blockbuster trade. Brooklyn is less than $16 million below the luxury tax, per Spotrac, and has to make a decision on Camron Johnson that could cost them upwards of $18 million annually.
“Continuity is big. It’s something that’s not lost on us, for sure,” Marks said during his exit interview in April. “I don’t think we’re in any hurry. We’re not going to be pushed to make changes just for the sake of making changes.”
The Nets avoided trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving last offseason, working themselves into the Eastern Conference title contenders they were billed to be.
That they ended up having to dismantle those title hopes mid-season is likely not lost on Marks.
Brooklyn’s Last Superstar Experiment Took a Toll
New Nets cornerstone Mikal Bridges might have hit the nail on the head in explaining how he is different from the previous Nets stars because he mostly stays out of the spotlight. He also noted that the city needed a refresh after a tumultuous four-year span that also briefly included Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden.
“I think Brooklyn itself had a lot going on,” Bridges said on ‘The Pivot Podcast’ on May 20. “They had Kyrie, Harden, and KD and then all that happening, and Kyrie[‘s suspension], and all that stuff. I think they were just ready for refreshing.”
Beal has been a low-maintenance star in Washington, not making much of a fuss.
But, despite that and the Nets’ need for a No. 1 scoring option, the Nets still appear to be on the outside looking in on this one.