Bradley Beal Trade Rumors: Suns, Heat in ‘Serious Talks’ with Wizards to Secure Star

Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images

The Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns are reportedly considered the two finalists in a potential trade for Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the Wizards are in “serious talks” with both the Heat and Suns regarding Beal.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported this week that the Wizards front office intended to work with Beal on a potential trade despite the fact that Washington signed Beal to a supermax contract extension last offseason.

Beal’s contract is worth $251.02 million over five years, and it also includes a no-trade clause, making Beal the only player in the NBA with a no-trade clause.

The Suns reached the NBA Finals in 2021 and posted an NBA-best 64-18 record the following season. They dipped to 45-37 last season and lost in the second round of the playoffs, but they are still considered top contenders for next season thanks to the duo of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.

Phoenix reportedly may move on from veteran point guard Chris Paul this season and center Deandre Ayton could theoretically be part of a trade for Beal, which would leave the Suns with a supremely talented trio of scorers.

As for the Heat, they reached the NBA Finals last season before falling in five games to the Denver Nuggets, but they did it as the NBA’s lowest-scoring team.

Miami could use a shot in the arm offensively, and Beal would undoubtedly provide it alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.

The Heat could perhaps put together the most compelling trade package for Beal, headlined by 23-year-old guard Tyler Herro, who averaged over 20 points per game each of the past two seasons, although Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reported that Miami is trying to get the deal done without including Herro.

The soon-to-be 30-year-old Beal is a three-time All-Star who averaged over 30 points per game in both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. He has not scored at that high of a clip the past two seasons, but he has remained productive.

Last season, Beal averaged 23.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 three-pointers made, while shooting a career-best 50.6 percent from the field.

Injuries have been an issue for Beal in recent years, though, as he missed a combined 74 games over the past two seasons and has played in 60 or fewer games in each of the past four campaigns.

Still, he is an attractive target to contending teams due to his offensive efficiency and the expectation of what he could do alongside other stars after having to be the centerpiece in Washington.

Beal hasn’t had the opportunity to compete for a championship to this point in his career, but that would change with a trade to Phoenix or Miami, and it would also signal the start of a rebuild for Washington.