Rising East Team Emerges as Potential Landing Spot For Suns' Bradley Beal

Rising East team emerges as potential landing spot for Bradley Beal

The trade of Durant was a long time in the making. There were rumors that they had a deal to move him at February's trade deadline, but opted to make one more push toward a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament before falling short after Durant suffered an ankle injury in the season's final weeks.

With Durant now gone, Gregory and the Suns will likely look to move Bradley Beal by any means necessary. Beal's contract is regarded as one of the worst in the league. He's due $53.66 million next season and has a player option for the $57.1 million for the 2026-27 season.

According to NBA analyst Jake Weinbach, the Chicago Bulls could be an intriguing option if Beal is willing to waive his no-trade clause.

"The Bulls are a potential landing spot for Bradley Beal as the Suns actively explore avenues to part ways with the 3x All-Star," wrote Weinbach. "Beal does have a no-trade clause in his contract, but Phoenix is reportedly preparing to offload the veteran guard whether that’s through trade or a record-breaking buyout this offseason."

A buyout is the worst-case scenario, but with the Suns seemingly going all in on a rebuild, getting Beal off the books to start planning the future is becoming increasingly likely.

The Suns will likely look to make a trade ahead of the NBA Draft on Wednesday. If they can't make a move before then, that's when the buyout will increase in likelihood.