What is taking Suns and Bradley Beal contract buyout so long?

Beal and Suns contract negotiations being delayed:

The hold up is likely because of Phoenix wanting Beal to give up a significant amount of his salary. The 32-year-old will want his full $110 million salary paid over the next five years, which will equate to around $22 million a year. For the Suns, they need Beal to give up a minimum of $14 million back of his $110 million to get the buyout to work.

The franchise still has Nassir Little $3.1 million salary on the books for the next four seasons, after waiving Little this past August. The max amount of “dead money” a team can have on their salary cap is around $25 million. Beal giving back the $14 million allows them to stretch his massive salary, alongside Little’s dead money.

Without Beal giving up any money, the two sides won’t be able to financial come to a conclusion. The urgency to get the deal done is solely on Phoenix’s side, as Beal’s no-trade clause gives him all the power in the situation. The franchise is stuck on how to move forward from its current position.

If the Suns were able to agree on a buyout, with Beal giving back money, it would give them plenty of flexibility under the luxury tax, first and second apron. With this current CBA, a team can’t make any sustainable move without being under those marks. General manager Brian Gregory would be able to combine contracts in a trade for a player making big money, preferably a star.

Regardless, those talks can’t begin without settling Beal’s contract buyout, and with the current pace the two sides are moving at, it’ll be a long offseason.