Report: Bradley Beal Trade Being Finalized by Suns, Wizards; Chris Paul, More to WSH

The Washington Wizards and the Phoenix Suns are finalizing a deal that will send three-time All-Star guard Bradley Beal to the desert, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Chris Paul and Landry Shamet are expected to be part of the package headed back to the nation’s capital:

Josh Robbins of The Athletic reported the Wizards have informed guard Jordan Goodwin that he is “likely” being sent to the Suns in the deal.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Beal picked Phoenix over other options:

Beal has spent his entire 11-year career in Washington, and as recently as last year, it seemed he would remain with the franchise for the long haul.

Washington signed the three-time All-Star to a five-year, $251.02 supermax contract extension in 2022, and the deal also included a no-trade clause, making him the only player in the NBA to have that included in his contract.

While the massive contract and no-trade clause made Beal difficult to move, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on June 14 that the Wizards would discuss potential trade scenarios with their franchise player.

Washington missed the playoffs each of the past two campaigns and entered the offseason amid uncertainty since its second- and third-best players in Kristaps Porziņģis and Kyle Kuzma each had player options and the opportunity to test free agency.

Ultimately, the Wizards decided to move on from Beal and enter into a rebuild, allowing the Suns to capitalize.

The 29-year-old was originally the No. 3 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft out of Florida, and he eventually developed into one of the league’s most dangerous offensive players.

Beal was named an All-Star in three of four seasons from 2017-18 through 2020-21, and he was a truly elite scorer during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.

After averaging 30.5 points per game in 2019-20, he upped it to a career-high 31.3 points per game in 2020-21.

His scoring dropped off the past two seasons, but he remained productive, averaging 23.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 three-pointers made per game last season, while also shooting a career-best 50.6 percent from the field.

Beal missed a combined 74 games the past two seasons, though, meaning the Suns are assuming some risk by trading for him.

If he stays healthy and performs to a level close to what he did in Washington, though, Beal could be the missing piece to a championship puzzle.

The Suns already made a franchise-altering move last season by acquiring Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets, and now they have done it again just a few months later with a trade for Beal.

Phoenix didn’t get as far as hoped in the playoffs last season, suffering a second-round loss, but with a core of Beal, Durant and Devin Booker, the Suns may be the team to beat in the Western Conference aside from the reigning champion Denver Nuggets.

Paul, meanwhile, is coming off a season in which he averaged 13.9 points and 8.9 assists per game for Phoenix.

Robbins reported Washington would like to have Paul on its roster moving forward. However, if Paul would prefer to play for a contender, the Wizards reportedly could look to include a third team in the deal.