Bradley Beal

Heat Notes: Lillard, Herro, Beal, Draft, Riley

June 19th, 2023 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

With Bradley Beal off the trade market, the Heat are shifting their focus to Damian Lillard and believe they have a real chance to acquire the Trail Blazers star, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes, confirming previous reporting from Chris Haynes.

In his latest story for The Herald, Jackson looks at potential packages the Heat could offer for Lillard if he becomes available, noting that the deal would likely start with two players out of the trio of Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry, and Duncan Robinson. Miami’s proposal could include up to three first-round picks, including this year’s No. 18 selection.

As Jackson observes, if the Heat want to preserve their draft assets, they could put forth a more player-centric offer headed by Herro, Caleb Martin, Nikola Jovic, and Victor Oladipo‘s expiring contract, with perhaps just one or two picks included.

If Miami makes a deal for Lillard, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes in a separate story, it likely won’t occur until July, when the new CBA will be in effect and the Heat will only be able to take back up to 110% of their outgoing salary in a trade instead of 125%. While Lillard could be traded in June before the new CBA begins, including Herro in an offer would probably require Miami to wait until next month, since his rookie scale extension will begin in July, increasing his outgoing trade value from $5.7MM to $27MM.

Here’s more on the Heat:

Having previously reported that Beal would have been willing to waive his no-trade clause to join the Heat, Jackson provides more information, tweeting that two sources close to Beal said the guard would approved a move to either Miami or Phoenix. As Jackson explains (via Twitter), the Wizards simply preferred the Suns‘ offer to the Heat’s, in large part because Miami’s offer – believed to be built around Lowry and Robinson – featured nearly twice as much guaranteed money.
Heat assistant general manager Adam Simon spoke to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel about the extensive work the team has done to prepare to make the No. 18 pick in this Thursday’s draft, despite the fact that the selection could end up being used in a trade.
Heat president Pat Riley will hold an end-of-season press conference and speak to reporters on Tuesday, tweets Jackson. Of course, he won’t be able to talk about any players under contracts with other teams, such as Beal or Lillard.

Stein’s Latest: Pacers, Barnes, Anunoby, Hawks, Lively, Beal

June 19th, 2023 at 12:59pm CST by Luke Adams

If the Pacers aren’t able to trade for a starting-caliber forward, either using the No. 7 pick or other assets, they’re expected to turn to free agency in an effort to land that sort of player, Marc Stein writes at Substack.

One player Indiana has some interest in, league sources tell Stein, is Kings forward Harrison Barnes, who will be an unrestricted free agent next week. As Stein points out, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle coached Barnes in Dallas, while point guard Tyrese Haliburton played with the veteran in Sacramento, so Barnes certainly has fans within the organization.

Stein classifies Barnes as a “strong” candidate to change teams this offseason, though he hears from one source that a return to the Kings hasn’t been ruled out.

Here’s more from Stein:

A team with interest in acquiring OG Anunoby described the Raptors‘ feelings about trading him as “strong reluctance,” Stein writes. While Anunoby has no shortage of potential suitors – including teams like Indiana, Portland, Memphis, and Sacramento – Stein says the early signals suggest the Raptors may end up once again holding onto him, like they did at the trade deadline.
The Hawks are “known to be interested” in Duke big man Dereck Lively and have spoken to Dallas about trades involving the No. 10 pick, according to Stein. While Stein doesn’t go into detail about how the possibility of Atlanta landing Lively would affect the team’s current big men, such as center Clint Capela, that frontcourt would be getting awfully crowded.
A veteran personnel executive tells Stein that Bradley Beal getting to be the third option with the Suns should “suit him very well.” Beal was probably miscast as a franchise player in Washington, but made a career-best 50.6% of his shots this past season as he increasingly shared the scoring load with Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma while his shot attempts per game dipped to 17.6 (his lowest mark since 2016/17).

Wizards To Trade Bradley Beal To Suns

June 19th, 2023 at 12:21pm CST by Luke Adams

JUNE 19, 12:21pm: In addition to Beal and Goodwin, the Wizards are also sending Isaiah Todd to the Suns in the trade, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Todd’s minimum salary ($1,836,096) for the 2023/24 season is fully guaranteed.

As John Hollinger of The Athletic tweets, Todd is coming off a disappointing season and was no longer in the Wizards’ plans, but from the Suns’ perspective, he’ll be a little cheaper than a minimum-salary veteran.

JUNE 18, 7:34pm: The Wizards are likely to include Jordan Goodwin in the trade, Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets. Goodwin’s minimum-salary ($1,927,896) contract for next season is currently partially guaranteed for $300K.

JUNE 18, 3:35pm: The Wizards and Suns have agreed to a blockbuster trade that will send Bradley Beal to Phoenix, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links).

According to Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), the Wizards are expected to receive Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, multiple second-round picks, and multiple pick swaps in the trade. It will likely take a few days for the deal to be officially finalized, Woj adds.

Word first broke on Wednesday that the Wizards and Beal’s camp had been in contact about possible trade scenarios as the team’s new front office – led by president of basketball operations Michael Winger – mulled the possibility of a roster reset.

Beal’s contract, which has four years and nearly $208MM left on it, includes a no-trade clause, which gave him significant control over the process and limited the Wizards’ options. On Saturday, reports indicated that Washington was in serious talks with the Suns and Heat about possible deals involving the star guard.

It’s unclear whether the Wizards preferred the Suns’ offer, Beal preferred Phoenix over Miami, or both. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link) hears that Phoenix was the only place Beal wanted to go, viewing it as the best fit for him and his family. However, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link), the 29-year-old would have been happy to land with the Heat too, but the Suns were more aggressive in their pursuit.

Either way, Beal will form a new Big Three alongside Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, as new Suns owner Mat Ishbia takes another big swing following the team’s deadline acquisition of Durant. A three-time All-Star, Beal will be changing teams for the first time in his career following 11 years in Washington.

“This was an extremely complicated process with so many different hurdles to get through and (Wizards owner) Ted Leonsis and Michael Winger were unbelievable partners in making this happen,” Beal’s agent Mark Bartelstein said in a statement confirming the agreement, per Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

One of the NBA’s most prolific scorers in recent years, Beal averaged 30.5 points per game in 2019/20 and 31.3 PPG in 2020/21, but has seen his numbers dip in the past two seasons as he battled injuries and cut back on his shot attempts. In 90 games since the start of the ’21/22 season, he has averaged 23.2 PPG and 6.0 APG on .480/.333/.838 shooting in 34.6 minutes per night.

With Durant, Booker, Beal, and former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton all on maximum-salary contracts that run through at least 2025/26, the Suns’ team salary projects to be over the NBA’s new second tax apron for the next three seasons or more, limiting their ability to upgrade their roster around that core, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Barring a trade of Ayton, Phoenix will have to fill out its roster this offseason by re-signing its own free agents and/or adding outside free agents on minimum-salary contracts.

Having already sent their 2023, 2025, 2027, and 2029 first-round picks – as well as a 2028 first-round pick swap – to Brooklyn for Durant, the Suns could only offer the Wizards a pick swap in 2024 and/or 2026 in addition to multiple second-round selections. Phoenix’s 2029 second-rounder is the only one that was traded away in a previous deal.

Meanwhile, Winger’s tenure in D.C. will begin with a cost-cutting trade of a franchise player who signed what was – at the time – the richest contract in NBA history just one year ago. Paul and Shamet are under contract through at least 2024/25, but aren’t owed any guaranteed money beyond ’23/24, so they’re essentially on expiring contracts, while Beal would have made an average of $52MM through ’26/27.

Paul’s $30.8MM salary for next season is currently only partially guaranteed for $15.8MM, but that guarantee will need to be increased by nearly $10MM in order to meet the NBA’s salary-matching rules.

A league source tells Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link) that the Wizards would like to keep Paul for next season, but if CP3 decides he wants to be on a club closer to contention, the Wizards and Suns would work to expand the trade to get him to a third team. It’s unclear whether Paul might be waived or bought out if he doesn’t want to play in D.C. and the trade can’t be turned into a three-team deal.

If he’s cut by Washington, Paul would be ineligible to return to the Suns, but would almost certainly pass through waivers and be able to sign with any other team as an unrestricted free agent. The Lakers are reportedly among the clubs expected to have “strong” interest in him in that scenario.

Shamet is owed $10.25MM in 2023/24 with non-guaranteed cap hits of $11MM and $11.75MM for the following two seasons.

Having moved on from Beal, the Wizards will now face major decisions on Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis, both of whom can become unrestricted free agents if they decline player options for 2023/24.

If Washington pivots to a full rebuild, it will have a ripple effect on the Knicks, who are owed one of the Wizards’ first-round picks. That pick is top-12 protected in 2024, top-10 protected in 2025, and top-eight protected in 2026. It would turn into a pair of second-rounders if it hasn’t conveyed by then.

As for the Heat, they intend to shift their focus to Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard and genuinely believe that Lillard could seek a trade out of Portland this offseason, reports Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT (Twitter link).

Beal has a 15% trade kicker, but because he’s already earning the maximum salary, it will be voided in this deal, Marks notes (via Twitter). Crucially, the guard’s no-trade clause will carry over to Phoenix, so the Suns would need to get his approval if they want to trade him down the road.

Wizards Notes: Beal Trade, Winger, Porzingis, Black

June 19th, 2023 at 11:05am CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards‘ decision to trade Bradley Beal is a smart move that probably should have been made four years ago, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Robbins argues that Washington could have gotten much more in return for Beal in 2019 after John Wall suffered an Achilles injury that altered the future of the franchise. Beal had just finished his second All-Star season, and although the deal would have been controversial, the Wizards could have demanded a significantly higher price than what they’re getting from Phoenix.

Beal had become frustrated with the organization’s lack of progress, and former team president Tommy Sheppard had considered trading him at the 2022 deadline, according to Robbins. That plan fell through when Beal suffered a season-ending ligament tear in his left wrist, and Robbins speculates that Sheppard might still be running the team if he could have moved Beal at that point.

Sources tell Robbins that the Wizards are willing to work with the Suns to expand the trade if Chris Paul wants to be shipped to a contending team. The Clippers have been mentioned as a potential suitor for Paul, and Robbins believes Washington might be able to pick up at least one useful player and a draft pick in such a deal.

There’s more from Washington:

New president of basketball operations Michael Winger made a similar trade when he was with the Clippers, sending Blake Griffin to Detroit when L.A.’s front office decided his contract was an impediment to building a contender, notes Ben Golliver of The Washington Post. Golliver believes trading Beal was the right move, even if the Wizards didn’t get much in return, because the franchise now has financial flexibility and a commitment to start rebuilding. Golliver expects Winger to focus on developing players and collecting draft assets, the same way he did when he worked for the Thunder.
Kristaps Porzingis would become a valuable trade asset if he picks up his $36MM player option for next season, observes Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. Porzingis is accomplished both as an outside shooter and rim protector, connecting at 38.5% from long distance this season while averaging 1.5 blocks per game. He has become a more effective post scorer and may have moved past his health concerns by appearing in 65 games. Porzingis is only 27 and might not have a future in Washington if Winger is serious about a long-term rebuild.
The Wizards appear to be targeting Arkansas’ Anthony Black with the No. 8 pick in the draft, tweets Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports. Multiple sources told her that Black was impressive during his workout and interview in Washington.

Suns Notes: Beal, Paul, Ayton, Draft Picks

June 19th, 2023 at 10:03am CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns realized the NBA’s new second tax apron was already going to be an issue for them, so they decided not to let it stand in the way of pursuing Bradley Beal when the Wizards made him available, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN (subscription required). Phoenix reached an agreement on Sunday to trade for Beal, adding the $208MM he’s owed over the next four years to an already expensive roster.

Suns management had been considering cost-cutting moves, according to Windhorst, including a recent meeting with Chris Paul to discuss the possibility of waiving him and saving half the cost of his $30.8MM salary for next season. They decided to reverse course when the opportunity with Beal arose and will likely guarantee Paul’s entire salary before sending him to Washington, sources tell Windhorst.

New owner Mat Ishbia appears to be committed to the super-team philosophy despite a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that was designed to impose heavy sanctions against free-spending teams. The trades for Beal and Kevin Durant have created a significant jump in salary since Ishbia took over the team in February.

The Suns’ spending spree is likely to continue, according to Windhorst, who says they will try to re-sign free agents Torrey Craig, Josh Okogie, Damion Lee, Jock Landale, Bismack Biyombo and Terrence Ross. Windhorst also expects Phoenix to retain Cameron Payne, who only has a $2MM guarantee on his $6.5MM salary for next season through June 29, and the Suns may add to their roster with a $5MM trade exception that doesn’t expire until February.

There’s more from Phoenix:

Paul was flying to New York for an appearance on “Good Morning America” when he learned about the trade, tweets Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report. “In this league, anything can happen, so you just figure out what’s next,” said Paul, who was on the morning show to promote his new book.
The Suns could avoid the second apron by trading Deandre Ayton for little to no salary in return, which would give them access to the mid-level exception, according to Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype. However, he believes it’s more likely that Ayton will be shopped for low-salaried role players, which would help ease the potential tax bill. According to Gozlan, Phoenix is currently looking at a payroll in excess of $190MM, which would result in a luxury tax penalty of about $90MM.
Once the Beal trade is complete, the Suns won’t control any of their first-round picks for the rest of the decade, tweets NBA writer Evan Sidery. The Nets own their selections in 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029, along with the right to swap picks in 2028. The Wizards are expected to get pick swaps in 2024 and 2026.

Bradley Beal Trade May Limit Market For Kyrie Irving

June 19th, 2023 at 9:03am CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns‘ acquisition of Bradley Beal may leave the Mavericks as the only bidder for Kyrie Irving when free agency begins, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column.

Stein states that when Dallas traded for Irving in February, team officials were told that the Suns and Lakers were likely to pursue him this summer. Phoenix appears to have taken itself out of the race by trading for Beal, while L.A. is focused on keeping key elements of its current roster and doesn’t appear interested in bidding for Irving, according to Stein.

League sources tell Stein that the Mavs don’t seem to have any competition for Irving, although that could change before free agency kicks off in 11 days. The Rockets could get involved if they’re unsuccessful in luring James Harden back to Houston, but Stein was told that Irving would be their third choice behind Harden and Fred VanVleet.

Stein identifies the Heat as another team that could make a run at Irving after missing out on Beal, noting that Miami had interest in Irving before he was traded to Dallas. Stein is skeptical, however, believing the Heat are more focused on acquiring Damian Lillard from the Trail Blazers. Miami officials are hoping Lillard will opt for a change of scenery if Portland can’t trade the No. 3 pick for veteran help and that he would be motivated to join a team that just reached the NBA Finals.

Stein adds that the Lakers could still reverse course, but “Plan A” is to re-sign Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura while trying to add Chris Paul if he’s bought out or released once he joins the Wizards. The Clippers are reportedly trying to get their hands on Paul before that can happen, either by expanding the Beal trade or making a separate deal with Washington.

Stein notes that Mavericks haven’t wavered in their plan to re-sign Irving, and team officials believe he wants to stay in Dallas. Negotiations may still be complicated, Stein adds, because the Mavs are hoping to get Irving to agree to a team-friendly contract without alienating him. Irving can receive an estimated $210MM over four years from Dallas, but he may find himself at the bargaining table with very little leverage.

Latest On Bradley Beal

June 17th, 2023 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heat officials engaged in multiple conversations with representatives for Wizards guard Bradley Beal as they tried to work out a trade, sources tell Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Beal hasn’t asked to be dealt, but he’s willing to be moved to “more than a handful of teams,” according to the authors. The fact that Miami is in position to compete for a title is important to Beal, Chiang and Jackson add.

The Heat and Suns are considered the leading contenders to land Beal as talks intensified on Saturday. The Wizards are reportedly motivated to get a deal done quickly so another star player such as Damian Lillard doesn’t become available and reduce their leverage. Washington is also believed to be seeking a trade that doesn’t involve taking on long-term salary.

Miami’s offer reportedly includes Kyle Lowry‘s $29.7MM expiring contract, along with either Duncan Robinson or Victor Oladipo to help match salary. The Heat would prefer to move Robinson because he has a larger contract, which would help reduce the team’s projected tax bill for 2024/25 and 2025/26, according to Chiang and Jackson. Miami will also include at least one first-round pick in the deal, the authors add.

Currently, the Heat can offer the No. 18 choice in this year’s draft, along with a first-rounder in either 2028 or 2029. Chiang and Jackson point out that if the deal isn’t completed until after July 1, Miami would be able to include its first-round selection in 2030.

There’s more on the Beal trade talks:

There are some important dates to consider in any potential Heat trade involving Beal or Lillard, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Oladipo has to pick up his player option for 2023/24 before he can be included. That’s likely a formality considering the serious knee injury he suffered in the playoffs, but he has until June 29 to make it official. If Tyler Herro is involved, there’s a poison pill restriction in his contract that doesn’t expire until July 1. Until then, his salary will be considered $5.7MM for outgoing matching purposes, rather than the $27MM he will make when his extension begins next season. Also, Lillard is ineligible to be traded until July 9.
Beal’s ability to play off the ball would make him an easy fit alongside Kevin Durant and Devin Booker in Phoenix, observes Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. However, the three players’ combined salaries would start at $131MM next season and would reach $163MM by 2025/26. That would leave the Suns, who are already lacking in depth, with few options to build a roster without being subject to the harshest provisions of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
At least one rival team is skeptical that the Heat are serious about acquiring Beal, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. Gambadoro also hears that the Bucks have interest in Beal, but much of their draft capital over the next four years already belongs to the Pelicans (Twitter link).

Southeast Notes: Kuzma, Beal, Oladipo, Snyder, Hornets

June 17th, 2023 at 5:01pm CST by Luke Adams

As the Bradley Beal trade rumors percolate, Ian Begley of SNY.tv says some people within the Wizards organization “voiced concerns” last season about the fit between Beal and forward Kyle Kuzma. While Begley acknowledges that the team has revamped its front office and may view things differently now, it appears increasingly unlikely that Beal and Kuzma will play together next season, with one on the trade block and one headed for free agency.

Meanwhile, David Aldridge and Josh Robbins of The Athletic weighed in on the latest Beal trade rumors, taking a closer look at the Wizards’ talks with the Suns and Heat. According to The Athletic’s duo, Washington would have interest in acquiring Tyler Herro in a deal with Miami, but the Heat are instead offering Duncan Robinson (along with Kyle Lowry and multiple first-round picks).

Despite rumors indicating that Chris Paul – and not Deandre Ayton – would need to be included in the Suns’ offer for Beal in order to satisfy all parties, Aldridge and Robbins suggest that Ayton could still be the centerpiece of Phoenix’s offer.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

Heat guard Victor Oladipo is accusing his business manager of taking money from his bank accounts to buy a condo in Florida and a strip club in New York City, per Justin Rohrlich of The Daily Beast. Oladipo has filed suit in New York against James B. Henderson for stealing at least $1.3MM. Oladipo filed a separate lawsuit last year in Florida’s Orange County Circuit Court.
While some observers believed that Quin Snyder wouldn’t have joined the Hawks unless he was given ultimate control of the roster, he adamantly denies that’s the case, according to Jeff Schultz of The Athletic. “The only role (general manager) Landry (Fields) and (assistant GM) Kyle (Korver) and I talked about when I agreed to come to Atlanta is me coaching the team,” Snyder said. “That’s what I like and it’s also what I’m passionate about. Any speculation about me having a more significant role than providing input on personnel decisions is just not accurate. I have total confidence in Landry and his group to make those decisions. As I see it, my job is to maximize the potential of the personnel, whatever the personnel is. That’s where my focus lies. That speculation is erroneous.”
A number of draft experts expect the Hornets to select Brandon Miller at No. 2 in next Thursday’s draft, but Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer makes a case for Scoot Henderson to be the pick. The guard’s stock has been on the rise as of late, Boone writes, with rumors circulating that teams want to trade up for Henderson, not Miller.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.

Stein’s Latest: Beal, Heat, Suns, Zion, Harden, Rosas, Bucks

June 17th, 2023 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards may be motivated to move Bradley Beal sooner rather than later, Marc Stein writes at Substack, observing that the team’s leverage in trade negotiations could take a hit if Damian Lillard asks the Trail Blazers for a trade while Beal is still in D.C.

As Stein writes, the Heat are currently one of Beal’s prime suitors, but if Lillard were available, Miami would be at the top of his wish list too. The Heat are believed to prefer Lillard to Beal, but may not have the luxury of waiting to see if the Blazers guard will request a trade, says Stein. Miami theoretically has the assets to make a play for both stars, but the Wizards probably don’t want to risk having the Heat pivot to Lillard and away from Beal.

As we noted within our initial story on Beal this afternoon, the Wizards seem to be prioritizing cap relief rather than players on long-term contracts, which means Kyle Lowry and Chris Paul would be at the center of offers put forth by the Heat and Suns, respectively. Stein and Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) confirm that Paul is expected to be part of any Phoenix offer, with Haynes adding that Landry Shamet would likely be included too.

Stein and Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald suggest that Paul’s partially guaranteed contract could appeal to the Wizards, since they could waive him by June 28 and only owe him his $15.8MM partial guarantee instead of his full $30.8MM salary for 2023/24. However, Paul’s outgoing salary for matching purposes in a trade would be equivalent to his guarantee for ’23/24, not his full cap hit, so the Suns may need to increase that guarantee in order to adhere to the NBA’s trade rules.

Here’s more from Stein:

While it remains to be seen whether the Pelicans will seriously consider moving Zion Williamson this offseason, Stein hears that they “quietly” held some exploratory talks a year ago before signing him to a five-year, maximum-salary contract extension. Stein also reiterates a point he made previously, writing that the “rising level of exasperation” within the organization about Williamson’s availability and approach will have to be addressed if Zion remains in New Orleans.
Star guard James Harden is believed to be giving “renewed consideration” to the idea of remaining with the Sixers rather than leaving for the Rockets in free agency, Stein reports.
More than one rival team expects the Knicks to make Gersson Rosas their new general manager under president of basketball operations Leon Rose following Scott Perry‘s exit from the franchise, Stein writes. Rosas is currently a senior basketball advisor for the Knicks.
Before hiring Adrian Griffin as their new head coach, the Bucks expressed “strong” interest in University of Houston coach Kelvin Sampson, along with Monty Williams, according to Stein, who notes that star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo wanted a former NBA player to get the job.

Heat, Suns In Serious Talks For Wizards’ Bradley Beal

June 17th, 2023 at 1:51pm CST by Luke Adams

1:51pm: The Heat are trying to acquire Beal without moving Herro, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).

Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link) says the package discussed by Miami would be built around Lowry and draft assets, with Robinson or Oladipo also included for salary matching.

The Wizards appear to be trying to avoid taking back long-term money, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. That suggests that a Suns offer would likely involve Paul rather than Ayton.

12:54pm: The Wizards are engaged in serious talks about a Bradley Beal trade with two separate suitors, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), who reports that the Heat and Suns are in the mix for the star guard.

Miami has long been viewed as a potential landing spot for Beal if he’s dealt, whereas Phoenix is more of a newcomer to the sweepstakes. Charania refers to the Heat and Suns as “finalists” for Beal, though it’s unclear if the Wizards are fully committed to moving forward on a trade or whether other clubs will still have a chance to get involved.

As first reported on Wednesday, Beal and the Wizards have begun to talk to one another about the possibility of a trade, with the team’s new front office – led by Michael Winger – considering the idea of resetting the roster. Any major changes in D.C. would almost certainly include moving Beal, who is owed nearly $208MM over the next four years.

Because Beal has a full no-trade clause, he has a significant amount of control over not only his eventual landing spot but the return the Wizards receive for him, since he could veto a deal if he thinks his new team is giving up too much. Beal’s camp – including agent Mark Bartelstein – has reportedly been granted permission by the Wizards to speak to potential suitors.

Beal’s current cap hit is $43.3MM and that number will increase to $46.7MM in 2023/24, so substantial outgoing salary will be required to match that figure and meet the NBA’s trade rules.

A Heat trade for Beal would likely start with either Tyler Herro or Kyle Lowry. Herro will make $27MM next season in the first year of his four-year rookie scale extension, while Lowry will be on a $29.7MM expiring contract. Duncan Robinson ($18.2MM), Victor Oladipo ($9.5MM), and Caleb Martin ($6.8MM) are among the other possible trade candidates for the Heat, who have up to three first-round picks available, including this year’s No. 18 selection.

As for the Suns, it’s safe to assume Kevin Durant and Devin Booker wouldn’t be included in an offer for Beal. That means a proposal would have to start with either Chris Paul or Deandre Ayton, depending on whether Washington would prioritize expiring salary (Paul) or a young building block who is under contract for multiple years (Ayton). Paul has a partially guaranteed $30.8MM salary for 2023/24 without any guaranteed money owed to him beyond next season, while Ayton will make $102MM over the next three years.

Landry Shamet ($10.3MM) and Cameron Payne ($6.5MM) are other movable Suns players for matching purposes, though Phoenix doesn’t have much to offer in the way of future draft picks after sending four first-rounders to Brooklyn for Durant in February. The Suns would only be able to sweeten an offer with second-round picks or with a first-round swap in 2024 and/or 2026.

Both the Heat (with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo) and the Suns entered the offseason expected to scour the trade market for impact players capable of complementing their star duos. The two teams project to be taxpayers going forward, so their flexibility to make major moves may be limited after the 2023/24 league year as more rules from the new Collective Bargaining Agreement take effect.

The Heat have also been linked to Damian Lillard, though there’s no indication yet that he’ll be available this summer. The Suns are said to have some interest in Malcolm Brogdon and John Collins, among others.

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