Disastrous Bradley Beal trade has Suns' hands tied

The Suns are limited in what they can do to improve their team, which has sputtered to a 15-18 record after starting the season 9-2. The team is over the second luxury-tax apron, meaning it can't take in more money in trade than it sends out, nor can it combine salaries in a trade. It's short on draft picks after sending four first-round picks, five first-round pick swaps and six second-round picks in 2023 trades for Beal and Kevin Durant.

Beal's no-trade clause allowed him to pick his destination, choosing Phoenix over the Miami Heat. Unfortunately for the Suns, Phoenix allowed Beal to keep his no-trade clause in the deal.

Now, Phoenix has a 31-year-old guard who's owed over $110M for the next two seasons and $30M for the remainder of this one. Beal has missed 10 of the team's 33 games after missing 29 games last season, and he hasn't played more than 60 games in six seasons. He's averaging 17.8 points, 3.1 assists and 2.2 turnovers, and he's not a good defensive player. And he can veto any trade Phoenix might make.

That's likely one reason Phoenix decided to shake up its starting lineup by replacing veterans Beal and Jusuf Nurkic with rookie Ryan Dunn and center Mason Plumlee. A team that's gone 6-16 since Nov. 12 should be making changes, but this one seems designed to make Beal unhappy enough to waive or at least not exercise his no-trade deal.

The problem is finding a team that wants to take on the next two-and-a-half seasons of Beal at such an exorbitant price. Eighteen months ago, Phoenix traded all the draft capital it had to get Beal, along with Chris Paul, who would have been an excellent fit on this roster at a far cheaper price. Now, it would likely have to attach a 2031 first, its only tradable first-rounder, just to get rid of Beal.

It's unclear who would be willing to take on the long-term commitment to Beal and facilitate a multi-team trade. A first-round pick six years in the future might not be enough for a team that would also have to send players to the Heat in such a deal.

Phoenix has been creative in manufacturing draft capital recently. Making up the amount it will take to move Beal might be beyond its wizardry.