Report: Wizards gave ‘real consideration’ for reacquiring Bradley Beal ahead of trade deadline

Report: Wizards gave ‘real consideration’ for reacquiring Bradley Beal ahead of trade deadline

Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal, a former No. 3 overall pick, made a name for himself during his 11-year career with the Washington Wizards. He made three All-Star teams from 2017-21 with one All-NBA team honor in 2020-21 after averaging a career-high 31.3 points in 60 games.

Though all good things come to an end, eventually. One year after rewarding their 6-foot-4 shooting guard with a five-year supermax with a no-trade clause, the Wizards–trapped in quicksand–flipped him to the hyperaggressive Phoenix Suns in June of 2023 in a package headlined by veteran point guard Chris Paul.

Despite having one of the worst contracts in the NBA, Washington seriously mulled bringing back the former Wizard ahead of last month’s February deadline, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

“[The Washington Wizards] gave real consideration to bringing Beal to the nation’s capital,” Stein wrote Sunday, according to NBC’s Kurt Helin. “The Wizards, of course, are the team that gave Beal that monster five-year, $251 million contract adorned with a full no-trade clause in the first place. Beal has two seasons left on the deal after this one valued at nearly $111 million.”

It was reported shortly after the deadline by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst that the Wizards and Hawks were the only teams to consider bringing in the 13-year veteran if he was willing to waive his no-trade clause. Stein’s report all but confirmed the former Sunday.

While Beal’s name was floated around plenty in the Jimmy Butler sweepstakes, he controlled his fate due to his NTC. He wielded all the power in negotiations. It was never likely that he was going to waive it, regardless, which made a Butler-Suns trade very unlikely, barring the Suns were able to successfully move star forward Kevin Durant.

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The Suns have been a disaster throughout 2024-25, so moves will need to be made this offseason. Whether they involve Beal or not is a different calculation, but Phoenix needs to hit the reset button sooner rather than later if they want to compete in the future. This experiment hasn’t worked.

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