Getty Image / Christian Petersen
Earlier today, it was revealed that the Washington Wizards are now only seriously negotiating with two teams as they try to find a trade partner for Bradley Beal.
The Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat are the last two teams standing in the race to acquire the All-Star guard.
What hasn’t been entirely clear at this point is exactly what it would take to complete a trade for Beal. There had been reports that the price won’t be too high because of the size of Beal’s contract, but nothing specific about what the Wizards are looking for.
Now we at least know what the Wizards want from one of those teams.
According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, the Wizards want Chris Paul and Landry Shamet for Beal if they make a deal with the Suns.
Phoenix can offer trade package of Deandre Ayton and Landry Shamet to Washington for Bradley Beal, but it’s believed a Chris Paul, Shamet deal is what it would take if Beal chose to force his way to Suns via his no-trade clause, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 17, 2023
My only question here is, if the Suns are really interested in Beal, why has this deal not already been agreed to?
Not only would they be adding another star to play alongside Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, but they’d be offloading Chris Paul’s contract in the process while also getting rid of a backup point guard that wasn’t trusted to start in the playoffs while Paul was injured and is set to make $10 million next season.
How could they possibly get a better deal?
The Suns would still have plenty left to address with only Durant, Booker, Ish Wainright, and Cameron Payne on the roster. They would still need to find themselves a starting point guard and some depth, but they would have the league’s most star-studded starting lineup.
If this is really what the Wizards are looking for in exchange for Beal, it shouldn’t take long for the Phoenix Suns to get a deal done.