The Phoenix Suns are expected to make a roster overhaul following a disastrous season in which they are the only NBA team that will neither be in the playoffs, play-in tournament or the draft lottery.
After mortgaging their future with the most expensive payroll in league history led by the Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, the Suns have zero flexibility to make major changes.
Among their three stars, Beal is the weakest link. That’s why they tried to trade him to acquire Jimmy Butler to no avail this season. Beal’s pricy two years and $111 million remaining in his five-year, $251 million contract has not attracted a market given his age and injury history.
Is Bradley Beal a Buyout Candidate?
Despite these factors negatively affecting his market, 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.”
If Beal has no trade market, Gambodoro sees another path for the Suns to get rid of their third star.
“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.
Bradley Beal Linked to 4 NBA Teams
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.”
Bradley Beal Wants to Remain in Phoenix
Beal is the biggest stumbling block toward Phoenix gaining the flexibility to overhaul their roster around Durant and Booker. Despite the Suns desperately trying to trade him at the deadline, Beal still insists he wants to remain in Phoenix and run it back next season.
“I love Phoenix,” Beal said, per Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. “I love being here, I hope I can continue to be here. But I know Mat [Ishbia], he’s gonna probably make some changes, but I enjoyed this group… I think that’s what kinda hurts us the most is that we were a connected team.”
But they looked disjointed on the court as they had a worse record than last season. The Suns will be the most fascinating team to watch in the offseason.
Suns to Make Decision on Big 3: ‘Zero Percent Chance He’s Coming Back’