Getty Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns during the second half of the NBA game at Footprint Center.
In case you have not heard, the Phoenix Suns pulled off a monster trade with the Washington Wizards to acquire their three-time All-Star shooting guard, Bradley Beal. Beal, one of the top-scoring guards in the NBA, averaged 23.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game last season.
Beal will now be the third All-Star in the Suns’ starting lineup with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker as the Suns continue to try and build a title contender. Some wonder if this is a tandem that can work together, with all three stars being volume scorers. But Booker is just looking forward to sharing the floor with his new teammate.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Booker said when asked about playing with Beal during an appearance at the basketball camp of Los Angeles Lakers star point guard D’Angelo Russell in June via WHAS’ Kent Spence. “It’s going to be a fun time.”
Devin Booker didn’t have a ton to say about the @Suns trade for Bradley Beal…. but it felt those few words spoke volumes.
Yuta Watanabe Named Suns ‘Perfect Complement’
The Suns were perhaps the most active team when the NBA free agency period officially opened on June 30. After trading for Beal, many people did not expect them to make much noise this offseason with three max contracts on their books. But the Suns secured a litany of solid role players to assist their stars. One of the more prominent players they added is Durant’s former Brooklyn Nets teammate Yuta Watanabe.
The Nets ex-sharpshooter had a breakout season in 2023, where he shot a scorching 44% from beyond the arc, elevating himself as one of the top marksmen in the NBA. Everett Williams of Sports Illustrated says Watanabe is the “perfect complement” for the Suns.
“Watanabe will perhaps be the biggest beneficiary of ball-dominant players, as Watanabe can cruise around the perimeter and pick a lane for an open look. His athletic capabilities also grant Watanabe the ability to blow past a closeout and take it to the rim with height and length,” Williams writes.
“His left-handed shooting stroke, 6’9” height, and hustle on the floor prove why Watanabe was such a sought-after free agent and one of the best pickups in the market. The Suns will look forward to the production and growth out of a player for an affordable price.”
Suns Sign ‘Much-Needed Depth Piece’
Another shocker was the Suns’ signing of sharpshooter Eric Gordon. Gordon, a veteran with adequate experience in complementing stars, was expected to garner the attention of several title contenders this offseason. And in the end, he decided to join the Suns, per NBA insider Shams Charania.
With Gordon having perhaps the best opportunity of his career to win a championship, Daniel Olinger of Sports Illustrated says he was a “much-needed depth piece” for the Suns’ roster.
“Previously a member of the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans, the Houston Rockets, and the Los Angeles Clippers, Gordon joins a star-studded Phoenix Suns team as a much-needed depth piece alongside Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal,” Olinger wrote.
“Gordon was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year during the 2016-17 season and has scored 13,119 total points in his career. He has often been coveted by contending teams for his three-point shooting and driving acumen on the offensive end of the floor Nearing two decades since he left Bloomington as a 19-year-old pro prospect, signing with Phoenix gives Gordon his best chance yet at finally winning an NBA championship.”