Suns Acquire $112 Million Star in Blockbuster Trade Proposal

The Phoenix Suns could add an expensive point guard in a trade this offseason.

Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard during game two of first round for the NBA Playoffs. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Suns have been looking out for a Kevin Durant trade for the past few weeks, but another player could be traded instead.

ESPN insider Kevin Pelton suggested a trade that would send Bradley Beal, Royce O'Neale and the No. 29 overall pick to the Milwaukee Bucks for Damian Lillard and Pat Connaughton.

"Beal, who would need to waive his no-trade clause to make the deal work, could fit better in Milwaukee than he has with the Suns, getting more opportunities to handle the ball and spacing the floor for Antetokounmpo in a way Lillard wasn't as comfortable doing. The Bucks also win the undercard here, adding wing depth with O'Neale in a swap that's necessary to avoid hard-capping Phoenix at the lower luxury tax apron and getting a late first-rounder to use upgrading the rest of the roster," Pelton wrote.

"If the Suns are ready to move on from Beal, waiting for Lillard's return might not seem so bad. And if he is able to return at something close to his All-Star form at age 35, Lillard would be a better fit alongside Devin Booker in the Phoenix backcourt. However, it's unlikely the two sides will agree on how much more valuable Lillard is while injured than Beal."

The Suns were part of the deal to get Lillard to Milwaukee two years ago, sending former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton to the Portland Trail Blazers. Now, they get the point guard, who is coming off of an Achilles injury.

Lillard likely won't play until the middle of the upcoming season, but the Suns could benefit from having him play next to Booker for a year or two.

The biggest reason for the Suns to make this trade, however, is to get off Beal's contract. That will give the team far more flexibility to work with moving forward.