Suns Owner Speaks On Bradley Beal Buyout

The Bradley Beal tenure with the Phoenix Suns came to an end earlier this week when the Suns bought out the three-time All-Star after a very disappointing two seasons in the Valley.

There have been several reports that have come out since the buyout detailing some of the drama in the negotiations, but in the end, the Suns are going waive and stretch Beal, paying him $19.4 million over the next five seasons after he took over a $13 million paycut to make the buyout work.

Suns owner Mat Ishbia does not have any animosity towards Beal, who would was originally under contract for over $110 million the next two seasons, even with the way things played out during his time in Phoenix with the Suns winning 0 playoff games over the last two seasons despite championship expectations.

“On Brad Beal specifically, it was, ‘Hey, he doesn’t fit in here. Let’s let him go do good things in his career. We wish him nothing but the best. But we’re going to build around a different identity here and Brad Beal is not part of that going forward,'” Ishbia said to Arizona Sports.

“With the decision on the waive and stretch, people all thought the no-trade clause caused an issue. The no-trade clause wasn’t an issue with Brad Beal. Brad Beal would have done whatever we needed to do. He’s nothing but a good guy across the board. Problem is nobody really wanted to trade for someone on a $53 million salary that wasn’t playing at that level.”

Ishbia would go on later to stay that Beal "handled (the buyout) like a gentleman and a professional that he is,'" and that he was nothing but appreciative for his time in Phoenix.

Beal, who is now officially signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, did not post a goodbye message to the Suns, instead posting just a peace sign, which you can read more about by clicking here.

Without Beal in the mix, the Suns have moved on from the Beal and Kevin Durant era in Phoenix after Durant was traded away to the Houston Rockets next month.

Now, instead of big-name stars, the Suns have surrounded Devin Booker with youth and defense, notably adding Jalen Green, Dillion Brooks, Mark Williams, and rookies Khaman Maluach and Rasheer Fleming, as well as retaining Ryan Dunn and Collin Gillespie, who will both have bigger roles for Phoenix next season.

This was something Ishbia and the Suns set out to do this offseason after he said they lacked a true identity since he took over the team in Feb. 2023.

Ishbia is looking forward to what the new era of Suns basketball will look like around Booker.

“We are always going to try to win and we are going to be aggressive," Ishbia said (via Arizona Sports). "But the difference going forward is I’m going to personally be involved … in making sure that the players we get are aligned with the vision and identity that I’m talking about, The grit, the toughness, the things that we believe in.

“There’s going to be things we do differently in Phoenix and I promise you we’re not going to be trading for players that aren’t aligned with that vision anymore. We’re completely going forward with a different look, a different feel and we’re going to get this thing right going forward.”