Apr 9, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) looks to dribble against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Adam Flagler (14) during the first half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Insider: Bradley Beal Has Suns in 'Handcuffs' Through 2030

Originally posted on Phoenix Suns on SI
By Connor Moreno | Last updated Aug 8, 2025 12:52 PM ET

We are nearly a month removed from the Phoenix Suns and Bradley Beal agreeing on a historic waive-and-stretch of his max contract. And while the split was necessary, the repercussions may haunt the Suns for the next five years.

Phoenix wasn't the only franchise to utilize the provision on an All-Star guard. The Milwaukee Bucks waive-and-stretched Damian Lillard. The Athletic's Fred Katz detailed how Beal's contract handcuffs the Suns for the next five seasons.

"The Phoenix Suns bought out Bradley Beal's contract in July," Katz said. "Meaning they still owe him the rest of his deal, even as he heads to the LA Clippers. For the Suns, waiving and stretching Beal is part of one of the most expensive failures in NBA history. Now, they're stuck with dead money on their books, which counts towards a team salary cap, but is paid to a player who is not on the roster.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

"Beal had nearly $111 million and two years remaining on his contract, but gave back a little short of $14 million in his buyout. They could've kept that dead money over the next two years, but they chose to stretch it over five, lessening Beal's annual cap hit to a hair under $20 million annually.

"The reason Beal had to give back those $14 million is because there is a limit to how much teams can stretch contracts. dead money can't make up more than 15% of the salary cap at the time the player is stretched. Phoenix had already stretched money from two players on its books. Had Beal not given money back, he would've put the Suns over 15%.

"The move helps the Suns duck the second apron and get out of the luxury tax, as well, saving them more than $100 million in the process."

So, yes, Beal did "help" the Suns a bit in this process, but that doesn't change the fact that Phoenix has Beal's ghost on the cap sheet for the next five seasons.

Katz added, "Typically, this mechanism has been used for lower-salaried players, not ones owed anything close to as much as Lillard or Beal. The reason why: It’s not safe. The Bucks and Suns will owe money to players not on their roster through the end of the decade, harming their flexibility in the process. The Bucks were desperate to stay competitive while Antetokounmpo remains in Milwaukee. The Suns were desperate to save money on a team that wasn’t good last season. Now we wait to see if either move works."