A mid the sudden change at the top of the Denver Nuggets organization, they have been floated as one of the four potential landing spots for three-time NBA All-Star Bradley Beal if he part ways with the Phoenix Suns this summer.
John Gambodoro, the longtime Sports Radio Talk Show host of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix, said “that there’s a zero percent chance that Bradley Beal comes back” to the Suns next season.
“And I truly believe that, you know me, if I go out on a limb, on something I’m probably doing it for a reason,” Gambodoro said on “Burns and Gambo” show on Saturday, April 13. “I don’t see a scenario in which Bradley Beal can come back.”
Beal has two years and $111 million remaining in his five-year, $251 million contract. The Suns tried to trade him this season to land Jimmy Butler but Beal has a no-trade clause.
“I don’t believe you could trade [Beal],” Gambodoro added. “I think you go to the offseason and you try before to agree to any type of buyout or anything like that.”
However, buying him out is easier said than done because of the large money owed to him. But if and when the Suns find a way to get rid of Beal, he’s still a former three-time NBA All-Star guard who just didn’t fit next to two ball-dominant stars in Phoenix.
Is Bradley Beal a Better Fit in Denver?
Despite his clunky fit next to Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, Beal still averaged 17.0 points on a 50/39/80 shooting split, 3.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds and a team-best 1.1 steals in 32.1 minutes.
“I’ll take that guy for $15 million,” Gambodoro said. “I spoke with somebody in the NBA last night, and I was like, ‘Okay, let’s talk about where he’s going to go.’ He said, Miami, Denver, Golden State, possibly San Antonio. And this is somebody that’s in the know, and that’s what he said to me, Miami and Denver, two teams that he could go to if there was ever a buyout.
“He said also to keep your eye on Golden State and maybe the Spurs, depending on the next coach, because for the new salary — $15, $20 million a year, you could withstand Bradley Beal missing 20 games with injuries. You can’t withstand it when you’re losing a guy making $40, $50 million a year that’s going to go out. But for a $15, $20 million guy, and any team that gets Bradley Beal, can make an argument that he’d be a better fit for that team than the Suns in Phoenix.”
The Nuggets could certainly use Beal to ease the offensive burden on three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and as the primary cog of their offense when the Serbian center takes his customary rest.
But that decision will be made by whoever is their next general manager.
Calvin Booth Explored Trading Nuggets Stars
Before they let go of Calvin Booth, the former Nuggets general manager explored trading two of their stars.
According to Denver Posts’ Bennett Durando, the Nuggets had engaged in talks surrounding moving on from Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray since the offseason. Booth had exploratory conversations about the pair and the idea was to position the team to win a second championship.
“Booth believed the sacrifice of KCP and other, more significant pivots could be necessary to win a second championship. He even explored trades involving Jamal Murray last offseason and Porter during this season, league sources told The Post,” Durando wrote.
Despite no trade materializing, Booth’s willingness to part ways with the veterans has been a source of frustration for Michael Malone, who was also fired on the same day the Nuggets announced they were letting Booth’s current contract expire.
Booth and Malone “never liked each other,” per multiple reports.
Malone wanted to lean on veterans for a championship run while Booth was fixated on using young players on a cheaper contract to surround Jokic.
Nuggets Floated as Potential Landing Spot for All-Star Amid Shake-Up