Wizards Executive Opens Up About Bradley Beal-Suns Trade

“Brad loves DC,” he adds. “(He) was great for everybody there. But at this time in his career, he probably didn’t make sense for where we wanted to take the team.”

Notably, when Beal made his trade request, the Suns weren’t on his radar as a potential destination.

At the time, the three-time All-Star was angling for a trade to the Miami Heat. Interestingly, Beal may have been in the same position with Miami that he’s in with Phoenix, and not just because neither team made it past the First Round. Although the Heat began the season with Kyle Lowry as their starting point guard, Miami may have moved him in their deal for Beal due to his sizable expiring contract.

If so, that may have led to Beal taking over for Lowry, playing a position that he’s never manned full-time. From high school to now, he’s been a 2-guard. Nonetheless, the Heat and head coach Erik Spoelstra have plenty of experience running an offense without a nominal point guard. With that said, Beal may have been more comfortable in that role had he been traded to Miami.

The Last Word on the Bradley Beal Trade

Despite playing out of position, Beal turned in a solid season in 2023-24. In 53 games, he averaged 18.2 points and 5.0 assists per game on a career-high 43.0 percent shooting from 3. In sacrificing scoring opportunities so that Devin Booker and Kevin Durant could feel comfortable with their shot volume, he had more energy to expend defensively. As Suns general manager James Jones confirms Phoenix’s reworked Big 3 will run it back next season, Beal might look even better next season. A full offseason to gel with Booker and Durant could do wonders, especially if there’s better balance among the trio.

In any case, Dawkins was right to move Beal. The Wizards had reached their ceiling with him as the No. 1 option. Yet, they were seemingly unable to acquire a player better than him, limiting their options. With the writing on the wall, Washington has now committed to a rebuild.