After two underachieving seasons, Bradley Beal’s experiment with the Phoenix Suns seems close to over. Moving on from Kevin Durant and now Beal, who missed 58 games and played in 106 in two seasons with the Suns, the two sides are looking for a fresh start.

But what does this mean for Beal, who, according to reports around the league, is expected to seek a contract buyout with Phoenix, making him a free agent

In the summer of 2022, Beal signed a supermax contract with the Washington Wizards for five years, $251 million. After playing one season in Washington under the deal, Beal and the Wizards began discussing a trade that ended his tenure in Washington.

Before the start of the 2023 season, Beal was dealt to the Suns, teaming him up with Durant and Devin Booker, forming a big three. Nothing came from the tandem, who were eliminated in the first round of the 2023-24 NBA Playoffs, getting swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves. They followed up the next season with a 36-46 record, missing the play-in tournament and playoffs.

This past season, the Suns began the season 15-18 and opted to have Beal come off the bench for rookie Ryan Dunn. Beal played in 53 games and started in 38, averaging 17.0 points per game, 3.7 assists, and 49.7% from the field. 

For the Suns, who still have two seasons remaining on Beal’s contract, which has accumulated to $110.8 million, the ideal plan is to reach a contract buyout, waive Beal, and spread the remaining amount of his deal over the next five years.

How that all plays out is a process the NBA has only seen unfold twice with players who have max contracts. Those players were Kemba Walker and Blake Griffin.

How the contract buyout could play out benefiting the Suns and Bradley Beal

The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) introduces additional moving pieces that both the Suns and Beal’s representation, Reggie Brown from Priority Sports, must ensure are executed correctly.

Beal in the contract buyout would have to give back $13.8 million to the Suns for Phoenix to be able to stretch out the remaining $110.8 million. This would ensure the Suns would have a dead cap hit of only $19.8 million, spread out over five seasons, which amounts to $ 3.96 million per year over the 2029-30 NBA season.

ESPN’s Bobby Marks also suggested the two sides could agree on a buyout that would decrease the guaranteed money to $80 million, equivalent to $16 million per season, which is something the Suns would prefer to negotiate.

This move is essential for Phoenix, which looks to stay under the NBA’s $207 million second-apron threshold and the luxury tax threshold of $187 million. The second apron is a strict policy imposed by the NBA and its CBA contract, which limits how much a team can spend in a season.

Phoenix, which is currently over the second apron by $17 million, is projected to spend over $425 million in salary and penalties. This presents restrictions on draft picks, trade restrictions, and a limited mid-level exception for signing free agents. Meaning the only available exception Phoenix has in free agency is the veteran minimum. However, that could all change with Beal and the Suns finding common ground on the contract buyout, which would put the team’s salary under $200 million.

Beal’s potential landing spots

Reports from around the league have already linked Beal to the Los Angeles Clippers, should a contract buyout occur. The Clippers, scheduled to have only $96 million in guaranteed contracts in the 2026-27 season, can offer Beal $5.3 million for the upcoming season.

The Clippers, who recently traded Norman Powell to the Miami Heat in exchange for John Collins from the Jazz in a three-team trade that sent Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson, and a 2027 second-round pick (via Clippers) to the Jazz, were able to clear up cap space.

Powell’s $13.3 million, plus $8.5 million, went to Miami, and Collins’ $26.6 million went to the Clippers, putting Los Angeles $6.7 million under the first apron.

This now means $5.3 million of a non-tax mid-level trade exception has been created, leaving room for a potential signing of Beal.

The Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks have also reportedly shown interest in Beal. However, with a limited number of teams having available cap space in the offseason, the fear of the second apron looms over the potential landing spots for Beal.