The Washington Wizards came out better in the Bradley Beal trade than initially thought. The deal between Washington and the Phoenix Suns got finalized ahead of Thursday’s NBA draft.
In addition to Chris Paul and Landry Shamet, the Wizards received cash, six second-round draft picks (2024-2028, 2030), and four first-round pick swaps in 2024, 2026, 2028, and 2030, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Washington is sending Isiah Todd and Jordan Goodwin to Phoenix in the deal. But the draft pick swaps and the second-round picks are interesting for the Wizards.
To understand, draft swaps are used more because of the NBA’s Stephien Rule, preventing teams from trading first-round draft picks in consecutive years. Phoenix has already traded its 2025, 2027, and 2029 first-rounders to the Brooklyn Nets to acquire Kevin Durant ahead of last season’s trade deadline.
Initial reports had Washington only receiving draft swaps in 2024 and 2026. And it was unclear how many second-round picks Washington would receive.
The draft pick swaps seemed insignificant in the Beal trade, considering the Suns’ projections for the immediate future with the addition of Beal next to superstars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Also, the Wizards actually don’t own rights to its 2024 first-round draft pick. Theirs belongs to the New York Knicks.
Durant will be 37 in 2026, playing out the final year of his $194 million contract. However, Beal is under contract through at least the 2025-26 season. Booker will be 29 and presumably under a new contract. The odds of Phoenix being bad by then is very low, and having the more desirable draft pick would be wishful thinking for the Wizards.
However, 2028 and 2030 prove to be different cases. The Wizards hopefully will be back on track and looking to compete. The Suns, on the other hand, could be readjusting to life without Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant. Devin Booker will be closer to the end of his prime, and the team’s dynamics may be vastly different.
Even if the Wizards’ five-year plan under new team president Michael Winger doesn’t pan out, the 2028 and 2030 draft pick swaps give the Wizards more optimism of getting something of value through the draft from the Beal trade.
The second-round picks are also valuable. NBA teams are allowed to trade draft picks up to seven years ahead. Washington now owns all but one of the Suns’ second-round draft picks over the same period. Brooklyn holds the 2029 second-rounder.
Second-round picks are valuable to use or flip for more players or the draft compensation. The Wizards never were going to get the value equal to how they viewed Beal. His no-trade clause, contract, age, injury history, and how teams assessed the three-time All-Star outside of the Wizards factored into his trade value.
However, the Wizards gained an asset to flip in Paul. As they did, trading the 12-time All-Star to the Golden State Warriors for Jordan Poole. Washington picked up a role player in Shamet. And the team got some draft picks that will be valuable down the road.
The Wizards didn’t net a first-round pick. But the trade with the Suns brings a far better return than many thought when the deal initially got reported.
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