The Suns need someone to take on Beal’s contract to make a Butler trade feasible
The Milwaukee Bucks have become a heavily rumored trade destination for Suns guard Bradley Beal in recent days, and on paper, the fit makes some sense. Milwaukee was interested in Beal before landing Damian Lillard in 2023, and while the two of them have somewhat redundant skill sets, Beal appears more reliable as a third scorer for Milwaukee than Khris Middleton, who has struggled with injuries over the past few years.
However, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes, the Bucks have not inquired about Beal. In fact, “a connection between the two is nonexistent,” Haynes said Wednesday. If Butler is going to get to Phoenix, according to Haynes, it will not be by sending Beal to Milwaukee.
This poses a serious problem for the Suns, because the salary cap basically demands that they trade Beal if they want to acquire Butler. As a second apron team, they cannot aggregate salary. That means that they have to trade one of their three players earning more than Butler is — Beal, Devin Booker or Kevin Durant — in order to acquire him. Booker and Durant are seemingly off-limits, so somebody has to take Beal for a Butler trade to happen.
Even if the Suns can find a taker, Beal’s no-trade clause means that he would have to approve of any team that might acquire him. According to his agent, Mark Bartelstein, he has not been approached about a trade yet or agreed to anything.
On Tuesday, The Athletic called the Bucks “a team worth monitoring” in Butler talks, but cited another highly-paid guard, Zach LaVine, as a potential, pricey addition for Milwaukee. The Bucks are 24-17 on the season and have won four games in a row, but have struggled on the defensive end of the floor since landing Lillard. Beal and LaVine wouldn’t help on that front, but either could solidify the Bucks as a dangerous enough offense to win the championship.
For now, though, it looks as though the Suns will need to find a new taker for Beal. With just two weeks remaining before the deadline and very little interest known, they have their work cut out for them if they plan to get Butler.
