Kevin Durant-Rockets Trade Reportedly Solidified Bradley Beal Buyout

The LA Clippers have made another major splash this offseason, signing Bradley Beal to a two-year, $11 million contract after successfully negotiating a buyout with the Phoenix Suns. The Suns will take back $13.8 million from Beal's salary and then stretch the remaining $97 million over the next four seasons.

The move was expected, especially after the Suns traded star scorer Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets to start the offseason. After the trade, there was the expectation that Phoenix would do anything to get rid of Beal's contract, and in the same offseason, the Suns have done that.

Phoenix is now below both aprons as well as the luxury tax, doing a complete 180-degree turn. After being in the worst situation of any team, being over the second apron, their first-round picks are unfrozen, and they have money to spend.

According to a recent article from ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the Suns were extremely close to holding onto Beal, and it looks like the Durant-Rockets trade solidified the buyout. A trade offer from the Minnesota Timberwolves to acquire Durant could have kept Phoenix from departing with the former All-Star.

"Before taking the Rockets offer, the Suns had in-depth discussions with the Minnesota Timberwolves about moving Durant and sought a package that included star center Rudy Gobert, guard Donte DiVincenzo, promising forward Terrence Shannon Jr. and the 17th pick in this year's draft, sources told ESPN," Windhorst wrote.

"Had that deal come to fruition, there was a place for Beal in the lineup, and the Suns might've made it a priority to keep him."

"Soon after, the Suns gave Beal and Bartelstein permission to speak to other teams about joining them via buyout, the best signal yet that the Beal era in Phoenix was ending. More than 20 teams showed interest, sources said. Eventually Beal met, via Zoom, with half a dozen teams about how he might fit with them."

The Suns could have accepted a lucrative package from the Timberwolves, but Durant did not have Minnesota on his list of preferred destinations, which meant he wouldn't sign a contract extension if moved there. This prevented Phoenix from taking the offer, and he eventually landed with the Rockets, who were on his list.

It looks like Durant-to-the-Rockets solidified Beal's buyout, because had the Suns sent the 36-year-old to Minnesota, they would have a core of Gobert, Beal, and Devin Booker, with supplementary pieces like DiVincenzo and Shannon.