TRADE: Beal+ etc. to PHX | CP3+Shamet+6 2nds+4frp swaps to WAS

[SleepingHero]

https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/16705...fs9K4uAAAA

BREAKING: The Washington Wizards are finalizing a trade to send All-Star G Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns, sources tell ESPN. Beal’s waiving his no-trade to form a new Big 3 with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. Teams are still working thru framework, but Beal is headed to Suns.

[audiosway]

https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/16705...fs9K4uAAAA

Now the Suns have 3 Robins and no Batman. lol

[SleepingHero]

Honestly not sure where the Suns proceed. Almost 163 mil in salary between 4 players. 3 of them are pure scorers and no table setters. Is Cam Payne going to be the distributor they need?

I think this all but guarantees they sell off Ayton for a mix of role players to fill out the roster. They definitely need a distributor and defenders.

For point guards, does Russell Westbrook at the minimum make sense? I think it does. It makes too much sense actually. There was a rumor earlier this month about how the Clips hoped Russ would be back on a minimum contract. Now all of a sudden they're players for CP3... So somethings changed there. Westbrook also fits the mold of a "splashy" signing and for all his warts is a great distributor of the ball.

Other PG's that could go for a starting spot at a discount in FA:

• Schroeder
  
• Reggie Jackson
  
• Pat Bev
  
• Dragic (history there)
  
• George Hill
  
• Corey Joseph
  
• Nunn
  

There are SEVERAL options imo there for PHX. They don't need a star when you have 3 of the purest scorers in the game.

This makes me think they're going to prioritize anything else in an Ayton trade, while also trying to reduce salary. Splitting Ayton into 2 wings and a center (say Bertans+Bullock+McGee) really rounds out their roster. Seems like a paltry return, but I'm trying to brainstorm and think what other teams in the league can satisfy all 3 conditions in: 1) They are vying for Ayton and need a starting center. 2) Can provide 2-3 role players that make sense. 3) Contracts are low enough to actually save PHX some money in the long run.


PHX current salary totals according to spotrac should they keep Cam Payne+Wainright (which they should as they are cheap enough to fill out the bench and fill needed roles): 171,294,557 + 6 empty roster charges

If they take the Mav package laid out above:  172,058,999+ 4 empty roster charges. 

Essentially net money and their rotations are filled out with a solid top 8 should they go after Westbrook and resign their own FA in Landale+Biyombo+Ross w/ a 13 man rotation of:


WB/Payne
Beal/Ross
Booker/Bullock
Durant/Wainright/vet min
Landale/McGee/Biyombo

Should WB sign to a vet min contract, their team salary will be: 181,234,653

They could waive Payne, sign another guard to a vet min contract and be at:  179,063,305 which is just a hair over the 2nd apron. Close enough where they can easily maneuver next year below it. 

Hell, they could also S/W Bertans, retain everyone above, sign Russ to the TPMLE and be at: 175,834,653+ 3 empty roster charges which should put them riiiiiiiiiiight below the 2nd apron.

[SleepingHero]

Now, regarding Ayton destinations. After this trade, PHX is really limited in the deals they can theoretically make. I'm not a super expert on the 2nd apron yet, but I assume SnT's (except in really limited cases) will be unavailable for them this summer given how close they're going to be to 179 mil in salaries. I said in my previous post I think for a team to trade for Ayton they have to satisfy 3 "rules" which are: 

1) They are vying for Ayton and need a starting center. 2) Can provide 2-3 role players that make sense. 3) Contracts are low enough to actually save PHX some money in the long run.

If we believe the rumors (past and present), we can conjure up a list of: Indiana, Dallas, Charlotte, Chicago, and Portland.

Indiana
Of these teams, I think we can safely rule out Indiana. After they've given Turner an extension, and apparently are all in on a OG Anunoby chase, I don't see the interest for them. Unless they really like Ayton a lot more than Turner, then there's the motive. I just can't see it. Especially since Turner's production is similar to Ayton's and will be almost 35% cheaper. But just to be fair, they do have the contracts to make it work. They have loads of combinations. Hield+Theis. Theis+McConnell+Nesmith. And of course, Turner+Hield.

All these packages blow the Mavs out of the water. But I don't think IND satisfies rule 1. Thus I'm striking them off the list. 

Charlotte: 

Charlotte is an interesting case. Lots of things are happening there with Jordan is selling the team, getting the #2 pick, and they may (or may not) be bringing back Bridges. They also satisfy rule 1 and rule 2 imo. They have lots of combinations of contracts that get them to Ayton money. Rozier or Hayward would have to be included to make the money work. To round it out (depending on who's the foundation between Hayward/Roizer) Hornets would have to add 1-2 of Bouknight/Martin/Richards/Williams/Jones. Does Hayward+Bouknight get PHX motivated? Is this a better package than the Mavs best (realistic) package of THJ+Bullock+McGee? Rozier's contract kind of violates rule 3 imo. It'd be about 10 mil less than Ayton, and would seriously make cost cutting tricky. Further, does Rozier make sense on a team full of pure scorers? There's enough here to not immediately brush past it. There's also enough maybes for me to be doubtful (I didn't even mention Mark Williams waiting to breakout).


Chicago: 

For Chicago, they are ready to move on from Vucevic and are possibly trying to rebuild so that satisfies rule 1. There was a lot of smoke in Demar trades to LA last season. We've already seen rumors of them shopping Lavine around. Neither of those make sense in PHX, nor do those deals satisfy rule 2. For contracts, CHI to make the money work would have to be centered around a Caruso+Pat Williams core with 2-3 "the other guys" in Drummond/DJJr/Carlik Jones/Siminovic. My question is...why in the world would Chicago do that? Caruso and Williams as assets are worth way more than just Ayton. Especially if they're trying to rebuild. That turns to the other idea of using PHX as a dumping ground for Lonzo Ball who might have to medically retire. That makes it where it could just be Ball+"the other guys" and it's a clean swap. But that doesn't help PHX nearly enough.

For that, I think Chicago is doubtful. Caruso is too valuable for just Ayton. Unless they figure out a complicated 3-team SnT deal with the Lakers where DeRozan goes to LA, D'Lo (and others)+Ayton to Chicago, and Caruso+Williams+The others to PHX. 


Portland: 

I don't know what to make of Portland. Are they trading Dame? Are they rebuilding? Are they changing their mind every other hour? A lot depends on what Portland decides for the future. If they decide to go all in for 1 final run with Dame, is Ayton the guy that puts them over the top? Would he even be the first priority given Draymond is a FA and the smoke has been there for a long time? 

In both cases, for the contracts to work, the deal has to be centered around Nurkic+Little+Knox. It satisfies all the rules too. Again I struggle to see how this deal is any better than THJ+Bullock+McGee. You can also make an argument that Bertans+Bullock+McGee is a better deal too just given the S/W flexibility Bertans offers when it comes to filling out the rest of the roster and staying as close as possible to under 179 mil. 

I don't see Portland dangling the #3 pick at all in any Ayton scenario. If they were to rebuild, I think it's less likely they make a trade for Ayton given his contract and that they have Nurkic for half as much that they just signed an extension to. However, the deal is there. So Portland is a contender.


Of course there are definitely other teams that never made it through the rumor mill. I can also rule out: DEN/SAS/PHI/CLE/NYK/MIA/SAC/LAL/NOP/OKC/UTA/LAC/MIN/DET/WAS/BOS as they already have centers that are better/cost effective. 

That leaves: ORL/MEM/GSW/HOU/ATL/BRK/ and sneaky pick MIL as other options.

[omahen]

Now, regarding Ayton destinations. After this trade, PHX is really limited in the deals they can theoretically make. I'm not a super expert on the 2nd apron yet, but I assume SnT's (except in really limited cases) will be unavailable for them this summer given how close they're going to be to 179 mil in salaries. I said in my previous post I think for a team to trade for Ayton they have to satisfy 3 "rules" which are: 

1) They are vying for Ayton and need a starting center. 2) Can provide 2-3 role players that make sense. 3) Contracts are low enough to actually save PHX some money in the long run.

If we believe the rumors (past and present), we can conjure up a list of: Indiana, Dallas, Charlotte, Chicago, and Portland.

Indiana
Of these teams, I think we can safely rule out Indiana. After they've given Turner an extension, and apparently are all in on a OG Anunoby chase, I don't see the interest for them. Unless they really like Ayton a lot more than Turner, then there's the motive. I just can't see it. Especially since Turner's production is similar to Ayton's and will be almost 35% cheaper. But just to be fair, they do have the contracts to make it work. They have loads of combinations. Hield+Theis. Theis+McConnell+Nesmith. And of course, Turner+Hield.

All these packages blow the Mavs out of the water. But I don't think IND satisfies rule 1. Thus I'm striking them off the list. 

Charlotte: 

Charlotte is an interesting case. Lots of things are happening there with Jordan is selling the team, getting the #2 pick, and they may (or may not) be bringing back Bridges. They also satisfy rule 1 and rule 2 imo. They have lots of combinations of contracts that get them to Ayton money. Rozier or Hayward would have to be included to make the money work. To round it out (depending on who's the foundation between Hayward/Roizer) Hornets would have to add 1-2 of Bouknight/Martin/Richards/Williams/Jones. Does Hayward+Bouknight get PHX motivated? Is this a better package than the Mavs best (realistic) package of THJ+Bullock+McGee? Rozier's contract kind of violates rule 3 imo. It'd be about 10 mil less than Ayton, and would seriously make cost cutting tricky. Further, does Rozier make sense on a team full of pure scorers? There's enough here to not immediately brush past it. There's also enough maybes for me to be doubtful (I didn't even mention Mark Williams waiting to breakout).


Chicago: 

For Chicago, they are ready to move on from Vucevic and are possibly trying to rebuild so that satisfies rule 1. There was a lot of smoke in Demar trades to LA last season. We've already seen rumors of them shopping Lavine around. Neither of those make sense in PHX, nor do those deals satisfy rule 2. For contracts, CHI to make the money work would have to be centered around a Caruso+Pat Williams core with 2-3 "the other guys" in Drummond/DJJr/Carlik Jones/Siminovic. My question is...why in the world would Chicago do that? Caruso and Williams as assets are worth way more than just Ayton. Especially if they're trying to rebuild. That turns to the other idea of using PHX as a dumping ground for Lonzo Ball who might have to medically retire. That makes it where it could just be Ball+"the other guys" and it's a clean swap. But that doesn't help PHX nearly enough.

For that, I think Chicago is doubtful. Caruso is too valuable for just Ayton. Unless they figure out a complicated 3-team SnT deal with the Lakers where DeRozan goes to LA, D'Lo (and others)+Ayton to Chicago, and Caruso+Williams+The others to PHX. 


Portland: 

I don't know what to make of Portland. Are they trading Dame? Are they rebuilding? Are they changing their mind every other hour? A lot depends on what Portland decides for the future. If they decide to go all in for 1 final run with Dame, is Ayton the guy that puts them over the top? Would he even be the first priority given Draymond is a FA and the smoke has been there for a long time? 

In both cases, for the contracts to work, the deal has to be centered around Nurkic+Little+Knox. It satisfies all the rules too. Again I struggle to see how this deal is any better than THJ+Bullock+McGee. You can also make an argument that Bertans+Bullock+McGee is a better deal too just given the S/W flexibility Bertans offers when it comes to filling out the rest of the roster and staying as close as possible to under 179 mil. 

I don't see Portland dangling the #3 pick at all in any Ayton scenario. If they were to rebuild, I think it's less likely they make a trade for Ayton given his contract and that they have Nurkic for half as much that they just signed an extension to. However, the deal is there. So Portland is a contender.


Of course there are definitely other teams that never made it through the rumor mill. I can also rule out: DEN/SAS/PHI/CLE/NYK/MIA/SAC/LAL/NOP/OKC/UTA/LAC/MIN/DET/WAS/BOS as they already have centers that are better/cost effective. 

That leaves: ORL/MEM/GSW/HOU/ATL/BRK/ and sneaky pick MIL as other options.

Good overview. As far as Chicago, I have only seen rumors they want to extend Vucevic, so I don't think they are a partner.

Imho, OKC is a team to watch. I don't think they have their centre yet, Holmgren is more of a PF. They will have plenty of cap space in July, so they could just send a bunch of guys on rookie contracts to Phoenix with a cheap vet or two (Williams, Dort). They also have half of league picks for next 73 years. Ayton could make a lot of sense there and they can afford his contract.

I wouldn't totally rule out Boston. Word is, they are willing to move Brogdon and they do need front court help. Brogdon + Robert Williams is a contract match. 

I don't really see Orlando or Houston in the mix. They have decent young centers on good contracts, not sure they would see Ayton as an upgrade. 

BKN has Claxton and bloated payrol. I am not sure they would like to add Ayton. But could be an option.

GSW could go Ayton instead of Poole (lets say Poole+Looney for Ayton), but I don't really see much sense here. 

Atlanta has a bunch of big contracts. But similar to GSW, trading big contracts for big contracts doesn't really solve anyones issues. 

Who knows what would Memphis want. They have Adams, but Ayton could be considered as an upgrade. I would throw NOP with Valanciunas in the same mold.

[Chicagojk]

Now, regarding Ayton destinations. After this trade, PHX is really limited in the deals they can theoretically make. I'm not a super expert on the 2nd apron yet, but I assume SnT's (except in really limited cases) will be unavailable for them this summer given how close they're going to be to 179 mil in salaries. I said in my previous post I think for a team to trade for Ayton they have to satisfy 3 "rules" which are: 

1) They are vying for Ayton and need a starting center. 2) Can provide 2-3 role players that make sense. 3) Contracts are low enough to actually save PHX some money in the long run.

If we believe the rumors (past and present), we can conjure up a list of: Indiana, Dallas, Charlotte, Chicago, and Portland.

Indiana
Of these teams, I think we can safely rule out Indiana. After they've given Turner an extension, and apparently are all in on a OG Anunoby chase, I don't see the interest for them. Unless they really like Ayton a lot more than Turner, then there's the motive. I just can't see it. Especially since Turner's production is similar to Ayton's and will be almost 35% cheaper. But just to be fair, they do have the contracts to make it work. They have loads of combinations. Hield+Theis. Theis+McConnell+Nesmith. And of course, Turner+Hield.

All these packages blow the Mavs out of the water. But I don't think IND satisfies rule 1. Thus I'm striking them off the list. 

Charlotte: 

Charlotte is an interesting case. Lots of things are happening there with Jordan is selling the team, getting the #2 pick, and they may (or may not) be bringing back Bridges. They also satisfy rule 1 and rule 2 imo. They have lots of combinations of contracts that get them to Ayton money. Rozier or Hayward would have to be included to make the money work. To round it out (depending on who's the foundation between Hayward/Roizer) Hornets would have to add 1-2 of Bouknight/Martin/Richards/Williams/Jones. Does Hayward+Bouknight get PHX motivated? Is this a better package than the Mavs best (realistic) package of THJ+Bullock+McGee? Rozier's contract kind of violates rule 3 imo. It'd be about 10 mil less than Ayton, and would seriously make cost cutting tricky. Further, does Rozier make sense on a team full of pure scorers? There's enough here to not immediately brush past it. There's also enough maybes for me to be doubtful (I didn't even mention Mark Williams waiting to breakout).


Chicago: 

For Chicago, they are ready to move on from Vucevic and are possibly trying to rebuild so that satisfies rule 1. There was a lot of smoke in Demar trades to LA last season. We've already seen rumors of them shopping Lavine around. Neither of those make sense in PHX, nor do those deals satisfy rule 2. For contracts, CHI to make the money work would have to be centered around a Caruso+Pat Williams core with 2-3 "the other guys" in Drummond/DJJr/Carlik Jones/Siminovic. My question is...why in the world would Chicago do that? Caruso and Williams as assets are worth way more than just Ayton. Especially if they're trying to rebuild. That turns to the other idea of using PHX as a dumping ground for Lonzo Ball who might have to medically retire. That makes it where it could just be Ball+"the other guys" and it's a clean swap. But that doesn't help PHX nearly enough.

For that, I think Chicago is doubtful. Caruso is too valuable for just Ayton. Unless they figure out a complicated 3-team SnT deal with the Lakers where DeRozan goes to LA, D'Lo (and others)+Ayton to Chicago, and Caruso+Williams+The others to PHX. 


Portland: 

I don't know what to make of Portland. Are they trading Dame? Are they rebuilding? Are they changing their mind every other hour? A lot depends on what Portland decides for the future. If they decide to go all in for 1 final run with Dame, is Ayton the guy that puts them over the top? Would he even be the first priority given Draymond is a FA and the smoke has been there for a long time? 

In both cases, for the contracts to work, the deal has to be centered around Nurkic+Little+Knox. It satisfies all the rules too. Again I struggle to see how this deal is any better than THJ+Bullock+McGee. You can also make an argument that Bertans+Bullock+McGee is a better deal too just given the S/W flexibility Bertans offers when it comes to filling out the rest of the roster and staying as close as possible to under 179 mil. 

I don't see Portland dangling the #3 pick at all in any Ayton scenario. If they were to rebuild, I think it's less likely they make a trade for Ayton given his contract and that they have Nurkic for half as much that they just signed an extension to. However, the deal is there. So Portland is a contender.


Of course there are definitely other teams that never made it through the rumor mill. I can also rule out: DEN/SAS/PHI/CLE/NYK/MIA/SAC/LAL/NOP/OKC/UTA/LAC/MIN/DET/WAS/BOS as they already have centers that are better/cost effective. 

That leaves: ORL/MEM/GSW/HOU/ATL/BRK/ and sneaky pick MIL as other options.

Thanks.   So do the Suns have the bigger MLE available or just the smaller one?  I also read that Jordan Goodwin is probably going to be included in the trade.  I saw some mention he is a solid deep bench point guard.

I expect they will be patient on Ayton and that is probably the smart move.

I am really curious if the Wizards could have gotten Ayton instead?  I thought that would be the better move imo.  Either move him yourself or try to rehab a little and then move him.  I would love to be a fly on the wall for those trade conversations.  Was Ayton even offered?

[omahen]

Thanks.   So do the Suns have the bigger MLE available or just the smaller one?  I also read that Jordan Goodwin is probably going to be included in the trade.  I saw some mention he is a solid deep bench point guard.

I expect they will be patient on Ayton and that is probably the smart move.

I am really curious if the Wizards could have gotten Ayton instead?  I thought that would be the better move imo.  Either move him yourself or try to rehab a little and then move him.  I would love to be a fly on the wall for those trade conversations.  Was Ayton even offered?

They only have small MLE. Ayton was reportedly offered, but Washington prefered flexibility Paul brings.

[DanSchwartzgan]

They only have small MLE. Ayton was reportedly offered, but Washington prefered flexibility Paul brings.

There is some reporting out there that Beal wouldn’t release his NTC unless it was Paul outgoing and Ayton was retained.  Not that Beal (or his agent’s son) loves Ayton, but because “Beal” felt Ayton provided a better path to building out the roster.  Beal was in complete control of this process.

[Chicagojk]

They only have small MLE. Ayton was reportedly offered, but Washington prefered flexibility Paul brings.

Thanks.  I assume they are going all in and will target someone.  The question is what position do they priortize?    If they hold onto Ayton for now, they probably need to target someone with their small MLE with him still on the roster.  Javon Carter could make sense here?

[HoosierDaddyKid]

I don't see them moving Ayton. They need size and Vogel said he wants to work with him and sees him as a very good defensive big that can work within his system. It's well documented his relationship with Monty Williams cascaded out of control. Phoenix can't make many more moves anyway within the new CBA. They've traded away their assets in the KD deal. About the only thing they can do is try to resign their own FAs, and hunt for guys that will play for the vet minimum.

[F Gump]

  So do the Suns have the bigger MLE available or just the smaller one? 

With KD, Booker, Beal, Ayton, and whatever else, PHX is over both aprons. That means no MLE at all.

[MarkAguirreWrathofGod]

This entire deal is super sketchy. Silver has no balls so I don’t expect anything to happen. But Bartelstein’s 33yr old son gets the Suns job in March/April. And two months later the Suns are handed Beal for the low, low price of nada. Not a single first round pick when other teams were offering them. Not even Ayton rerouted for other assets. I’ll bet if the league did the tiniest bit of searching they find the quid pro quo.

So Winger has a mandate to do right by his franchise as GM above all else. Why didn’t he play hardball and say “give us a list of 4-5 teams, and we will get the best deal for both parties. Otherwise, Ted Leonsis and my two predecessors have been MORE than generous giving you every thing you desired money wise. But I didn’t hand you that no-trade clause and won’t pay for that piece of foolishness. You’ll go to one of the 4-5 teams or play for the Wizards next season.”

[DallasMaverick]

Thanks.   So do the Suns have the bigger MLE available or just the smaller one?  I also read that Jordan Goodwin is probably going to be included in the trade.  I saw some mention he is a solid deep bench point guard.

I expect they will be patient on Ayton and that is probably the smart move.

I am really curious if the Wizards could have gotten Ayton instead?  I thought that would be the better move imo.  Either move him yourself or try to rehab a little and then move him.  I would love to be a fly on the wall for those trade conversations.  Was Ayton even offered?

I'm guessing that Ayton was offered and rejected.  Phx would have loved to get off Ayton's contract, but WAS preferred the short-term boat anchor of Paul's.

Aside from Phx, it feels like GM's around the league are understanding the implications of the new CBA, and how overpays really hurt roster construction.

[Hooper21]

I'm guessing that Ayton was offered and rejected.  Phx would have loved to get off Ayton's contract, but WAS preferred the short-term boat anchor of Paul's.

Aside from Phx, it feels like GM's around the league are understanding the implications of the new CBA, and how overpays really hurt roster construction.

Not to mention how deals like Gobert didn't put the T-Wolves any closer to win-now and likely hamper them in the future.

[SleepingHero]

https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/16708...GOg7AuAAAA

ESPN Sources: In addition to Bradley Beal and Jordan Goodwin, the Wizards are including F Isaiah Todd in trade with the Suns. Todd - the 31st pick in 2021 - has mostly played with Wizards' G-League affiliate the past two seasons. His $1.8M contract is guaranteed for 2023-2024.

Yeah this is the first time in NBA history that a team that's sending the all-star player is the one adding more value to the trade and getting absolutely nothing in return. How is this allowed by the league but the CP3 deal Stern vetoed to the Lakers wasn't??

[Mavs2021]

https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/16708...GOg7AuAAAA




Yeah this is the first time in NBA history that a team that's sending the all-star player is the one adding more value to the trade and getting absolutely nothing in return. How is this allowed by the league but the CP3 deal Stern vetoed to the Lakers wasn't??

Cause Stern is not here anymore and nobody respects/fears Silver. This deal is obvious collusion BS and they are simply not afraid. I´m just surprised they haven´t added Gafford and Morris instead.

Obviously the minimum this deal should have been from the Wizards side was

Beal for Ayton + CP3 plus multiple 2nd round picks.

Ayton is obviously a positive asset and Shamet is not. Suns say no, Beal stays in Washington for the rest of his career.

[SleepingHero]

Cause Stern is not here anymore and nobody respects/fears Silver. This deal is obvious collusion BS and they are simply not afraid. I´m just surprised they haven´t added Gafford and Morris instead.

Obviously the minimum this deal should have been from the Wizards side was

Beal for Ayton + CP3 plus multiple 2nd round picks.

Ayton is obviously a positive asset and Shamet is not. Suns say no, Beal stays in Washington for the rest of his career.

Ayton is definitely more positive than CP3+Shamet, but I understand why the Wizards passed on him. Especially if KP picks up his option to return next year. 

But the fact that the Wizards are the ones adding more to the deal vs. the Suns is maddening. The deal isn't complete yet. Perhaps they open it up to a 3rd team where they send Ayton to and the Wizards get stuff in said deal and it all starts to make sense. But as of today this deal wreaks of collusion and nepotism.

[Jmaciscool]

https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/16708...GOg7AuAAAA




Yeah this is the first time in NBA history that a team that's sending the all-star player is the one adding more value to the trade and getting absolutely nothing in return. How is this allowed by the league but the CP3 deal Stern vetoed to the Lakers wasn't??

If I remember correctly it's because at the time the NBA was acting ownership of the NO hornets which effectively made Stern GM of that team and he was doing what he felt was best for that team.

[DallasMaverick]

Cause Stern is not here anymore and nobody respects/fears Silver. This deal is obvious collusion BS and they are simply not afraid. I´m just surprised they haven´t added Gafford and Morris instead.

Obviously the minimum this deal should have been from the Wizards side was

Beal for Ayton + CP3 plus multiple 2nd round picks.

Ayton is obviously a positive asset and Shamet is not. Suns say no, Beal stays in Washington for the rest of his career.

It was a  brilliant move by Washington.   Beal's contract averaging over $50m for the next four years is an albatross.  Beal's a good player, but not that good.  Maybe worth $30m?  
Assuming he stays healthy?

A slightly good trade would have been to trade for Ayton plus filler.  His $34m/yr. contract only lasts 3 more years.  And if he performs at a $20m/yr. level, he's only overpaid by $14m/yr.

But what they did was stellar - trade for Chris Paul and his $30m contract plus neutral Shamet at $10m.  Both can be finished in one year.  If Shamet actually performs better than his contract, they can keep him up to two additional years for $11m-ish.

Their future has been set free.

It might also be to their advantage for KP to opt out, but even if he doesn't, he'll be off their books in another year.

[audiosway]

It was a  brilliant move by Washington.   Beal's contract averaging over $50m for the next four years is an albatross.  Beal's a good player, but not that good.  Maybe worth $30m?  
Assuming he stays healthy?

A slightly good trade would have been to trade for Ayton plus filler.  His $34m/yr. contract only lasts 3 more years.  And if he performs at a $20m/yr. level, he's only overpaid by $14m/yr.

But what they did was stellar - trade for Chris Paul and his $30m contract plus neutral Shamet at $10m.  Both can be finished in one year.  If Shamet actually performs better than his contract, they can keep him up to two additional years for $11m-ish.

Their future has been set free.

It might also be to their advantage for KP to opt out, but even if he doesn't, he'll be off their books in another year.

I couldn't agree more. This deal for Beal was a win for the Wizards. Beal is a decent player with a big name. He has had injury issues as well as being fine with being the "star" for a losing team his whole career. On top of that his deal is a total albatross.

The Suns now have 3 Robins and no Batman. I don't see them winning anything. CP3 is at least a leader. He just couldn't stay healthy.