The Phoenix Suns are very quickly imploding, and as a result, Bradley Beal may be planning an exit strategy.
Suns writer John Gambadoro reported Monday that there are three teams the Phoenix star Beal would waive his no-trade clause for. They are the Los Angeles Lakers, the Miami Heat, and the Denver Nuggets.
The three-time NBA All-Star Beal is at a major fork in the road right now with the Suns, who have floundered to a 15-18 record despite having the league’s highest payroll. Beal is averaging an underwhelming 17.8 points and 3.1 assists per game this year and was just dropped from the starting lineup as part of multiple demotions by Phoenix amid a four-game losing streak (and 10 losses over their last 13 contests). Rumors of tension and frustration in the Suns’ locker room have also abounded in recent days.
Of course, Beal will not be very easy to move. He has perhaps the single worst contract in the entire NBA right now as an injury-prone 31-year-old making $50.2 million this season and $53.7 million next season. Beal also has a $57.1 million player option for 2026-27, and his full no-trade clause further complicates matters.
As for the teams mentioned by Gambadoro, the Lakers make the least sense for Beal as they have neither the salary nor the assets to acquire him (at least without getting a third team involved). Meanwhile, Miami has a very rapidly worsening Jimmy Butler situation on their hands, but there are no signs that they are interested in taking on Beal’s bad contract. Denver may be a viable fit for Beal given a need at shooting guard after Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s departure and the urgency of maximizing Nikola Jokic at his peak. But that would likely requiring parting ways with Michael Porter Jr. and salary filler like Zeke Nnaji when there are better trade options out there for Denver.
For Beal to have a realistic chance of making his way out of Phoenix ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline, he might have to expand his list beyond just those three teams. Otherwise, he could be stuck in an increasingly toxic situation with the Suns for a good while longer.
