Role of Durant, Booker in Beal trade revealed

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) with forward Kevin Durant (35) Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Role of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker in Bradley Beal trade revealed

By Jeff Smith | Last updated 6/19/23

The Phoenix Suns didn't just work behind the scenes on a trade package to acquire Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal — they put on the full-court press.

With Beal's initial link to the Miami Heat and the early belief that it was likely the 29-year-old All-Star had the highest likelihood of landing in South Beach, the Suns proceeded to flip the script. The Suns moved quickly, and as The Athletic's Shams Charania revealed on FanDuel TV, the pursuit of Beal included recruitment by Phoenix's two stars, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.

“The Phoenix Suns aggressively went after Bradley Beal… Even Kevin Durant and Devin Booker recruited him - This team is all-in on a championship” @ShamsCharania on #Wizards trading Bradley Beal to #Suns for CP3, Shamet & picks #RunItBack pic.twitter.com/mP6RC3VnUD
— FanDuel TV (@FanDuelTV) June 19, 2023

Whether Beal's interest in the Suns was initially anywhere close to what he reportedly felt about the Heat is irrelevant, but having two stars of Durant and Booker's caliber attempting to lure him to town surely didn't hurt. It's apparent both players realize the impact and potential upside the addition of Beal brings, and Durant's previous comments from December 2022 prove just how much appreciation he has for his newest teammate.

As Forbes' Evan Sidery revealed just months ago (h/t ClutchPoints), Durant's appreciation of Beal's game is about as legitimate as you could imagine.

“I mean, he’s a Hall of Fame, All-Star scorer. Player, sorry. Calling him just a scorer is diminishing who he is,” Durant said of Beal.

Now, the duo will team up with fellow star Booker to create a trio with a scoring upside perhaps unlike any we've seen in the NBA. There's still a lot to sort out for the Suns in terms of how the rest of the roster will look at the start of next season, and also what the plan will be at point guard, but regardless, it'll be hard to bet against this team to be a top championship contender immediately.

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