Mock Trade: Suns Land James Harden in Swap for Bradley Beal
The Phoenix Suns added the talents of Bradley Beal via trade this offseason, an exciting move that gave the team a much-needed scorer behind the likes of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
Beal's arrival to the Valley gives the Suns one of the top trios in the NBA, if not No. 1. Phoenix now looks to utilize their Big 3 on top of a strong bench to go for their first franchise title.
Not everybody was a fan of the move, however. Beal's massive contract pushed the Suns further into the luxury tax, and many believe Beal's age and projected production in Phoenix won't match his salary.
Bleacher Report recently deemed Beal's contract (four-year, $207.7 million) one of the worst in the league, and suggested they could swap him for Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden among other parts of a potential deal if things go south in the desert.
"Beal's contract was the kind of overpay that didn't require a waiting period to evaluate. There were red flags flying from the start, particularly since it inexplicably included a no-trade clause granting tremendous leverage to someone who isn't universally regarded as a top-30 player," wrote Zach Buckley.
"He is a high-volume, moderately efficient scorer with injury issues in his past and his age-30 season fast approaching. You could easily argue this is the league's worst contract.
The Trade: Beal, a 2024 second-round pick (via DEN), a 2028 second-round pick (via MEM) and a 2029 second-round pick (via MEM) to the Philadelphia 76ers for James Harden and P.J. Tucker
"If the Suns wound up shopping Beal, they'd almost certainly be looking for a star. They've already splurged on two (Beal and Kevin Durant), and they clearly think stacking them is the key to delivering the franchise's first NBA title.
"Phoenix has been identified as a possible Harden suitor before, and you could make the case his playmaking ability would have more impact than Beal's scoring, since both would functionally fill third-option roles behind Durant and Kevin Booker.
"The Suns could also get Tucker in the deal, both to make the money work and to address some of their depth issues on the wing."
