The San Antonio Spurs set out this summer to improve the roster around 20-year-old phenom Victor Wembanyama. A trade for Bradley Beal could benefit their present and their future.
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report drafted a proposal for a deal between San Antonio and the Phoenix Suns in an August 16 column.
Spurs receive: Beal, 2026 second-round pick (via DEN), 2031 second-round pick (via DEN), and 2031 second-round pick (via PHO)
Suns receive: Harrison Barnes, Keldon Johnson and Julian Champagnie
“They [the Spurs] wouldn’t be parting with anyone of real consequence to nab a three-time All-Star who once averaged 30-plus points in back-to-back seasons,” Buckley wrote. “Moreover, they’d get a clear view of what having a high-end perimeter shot-creator might mean for Victor Wembanyama, potentially helping to shape their long-term blueprint.”
Beal is a three-time All-Star and bonafide three-level scorer. But his contract is considered among the worst in the NBA. The 31-year-old guard has three years remaining and $103.8 million guaranteed on his deal.
Phoenix’s asset pool is limited. They went all in on their core of Beal, Devin Booker, and Kevin Durant. But San Antonio should find enough incentive behind three future seconds to add a bonafide scorer behind Wembanyama.
Beal finished his first year with the Suns averaging 18.2 points, 5.0 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 54 regular-season appearances.
San Antonio Should Balance Focus on Present, Future
Few teams walk out of a draft with a player like Wembanyama. Even fewer can say they won a championship with that player when all is said and done. The Spurs undoubtedly want to be one of those teams down the line.
Wembanyama looks the part of a superstar in the making, already, at 20 years old. Which is why setting up the San Antonio teams of the future has to be just as important as surrounding him with talent today.
Buckley’s proposal for Beal isn’t a perfect deal for the Spurs. But it’s the kind of deal they should consider over the next season, if not two, as Wembanyama continues building off of his stellar rookie campaign.
For all the excitement of his silver-medal finish in the Paris Olympics this summer, there’s little optimism (if any) that he can lead the current San Antonio roster on a championship run.
That shouldn’t take deals off the table altogether for the Spurs, who made a Wembanyama-focused signing in Chris Paul earlier this summer. But it should rule some trades as non-starters for a team building around a 20-year-old.
There are always going to be exceptions to the rule. If a player like Stephen Curry or Luka Doncic became available, then naturally San Antonio would investigate pairing them with Wembanyama.
But until that deal becomes an option, deals that bring back assets and talent should be the priority.
Beal wouldn’t be the same salary cap anchor he’s become for the Suns, with the Spurs. He’d bring veteran leadership, and some safety net scoring to place next to a budding superstar in Wembanyama.
And while future second-round picks don’t exactly snatch headlines, when players like Curry or Doncic become available, they’re necessary assets in securing that next talent.
Marc Stein: Bradley Beal Likely Starting Next Season in Phoenix
After pulling off the blockbuster splash for Beal in June of 2023, the Suns went 49-33 last season. Their “Big 3” played just 862 minutes together, and they were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
But they’re not giving up on their star trio just yet. Longtime NBA insider Marc Stein reported prior to the 2024 NBA Draft that Phoenix is “insistent” on entering next season with all of Beal, Booker, and Durant.
“The Suns are insistent that they want to start next season with their Kevin Durant-Booker-Bradley Beal trio intact to see what they can achieve under new coach Mike Budenholzer,” Stein wrote on June 26.
Should their stance change, the Spurs represent one of few teams that could take on a salary like Beal’s. And the return isn’t awful for a team in need of roster depth, as Buckely noted.
“The Suns, meanwhile, might pounce on any Beal deal they could find, but they’d be getting more than scraps from San Antonio,” Buckley continued. “Barnes is a solid, three-and-D support piece, Johnson is an ignitable scorer, and Champagnie is building a three-and-D base.”
Barnes is 32 years old and coming off of his 12th NBA campaign. But he still averaged 12.2 points on 38% shooting from three last season with the Sacramento Kings. He’s exactly the kind of player a team like Phoenix (or San Antonio, as they demonstrated this summer) should be buying low on.
Beal is one of a few players with a no-trade clause. So any deal would require his green light before finalization. But if things go south in Phoenix this season, the Spurs could make a compelling offer for a player approaching the end of his prime.
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‘Realistic’ Spurs Trade Pitch Would Land Bradley Beal, Picks