Suns' Updated Roster, Starting Lineup, Salary Cap After Reported Bradley Beal Trade
It didn't take long into the NBA's offseason for the first reported blockbuster move to happen.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Sunday that the Washington Wizards are set to trade three-time All-Star Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, multiple second-round picks and pick swaps.
Wojnarowski noted it may take multiple days to finalize the trade and that the guard's no-trade clause "limited" Washington's options.
While the Suns now have serious star power with Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, depth is still a major concern. As of Sunday, Spotrac listed just seven active contracts for the 2023-24 campaign on the team and two of them were Paul and Shamet.
That means the starting lineup and roster looks like this as of now:
- PG: Cameron Payne
- SG: Devin Booker
- SF: Bradley Beal
- PF: Kevin Durant
- C: Deandre Ayton
- Bench: Ishmail Wainright
As for Phoenix's salary cap situation, Spotrac listed its practical cap space as of Sunday at $-31.6 million. However, Paul carried a $30.8 million cap hit for next season, while Shamet's was $10.3 million.
Beal's is listed at $46.7 million.
At this point, the Suns' best hope for quality depth pieces is that veterans see an opportunity to compete for a championship and sign with the team on minimal deals. That strategy could very well work out, as there aren't many better situations for players to chase a ring than one with Durant, Booker, Beal and Deandre Ayton all in the starting lineup.
One of the things that makes Beal so appealing for Phoenix is his ability to handle the ball and facilitate or play off of it as a scorer and outside shooter.
He can help fill the playmaking void left behind by the departure of Paul after averaging better than six assists per game in two of the last four seasons. He can also take advantage of the spacing created by Booker and Durant when he isn't handling the ball, as evidenced by his career 37.2 percent mark from deep.
Durability is a concern after he played 40 games in 2021-22 and 50 games this past season, but he brings an All-NBA ceiling and isn't far removed from averaging 31.3 points per game in 2020-21.
A core of Durant, Booker, Beal and Ayton can compete for a championship.
But the Suns are still going to need some depth if they are going to reach that ultimate goal.
