Bradley Beal buyout proves Mat Ishbia is finally learning his lesson

Although Bradley Beal is yet to officially be bought out by the Phoenix Suns, the feeling around the league is that it is now only a matter of time before the franchise parts ways with the player. An ending that will give the Suns far more flexibility to improve their roster this offseason as they come under the second apron, even if they will end up carrying Beal's salary against their cap.

There is one obvious landing spot for the 32-year-old once he hits the open market - and although his family were settled in The Valley and Beal appeared happy to continue playing there - this will also represent the best chance he will have ever had to win big. The expectations for his play will also change drastically too, which is just as well given his injury history during his time in Phoenix.

Beal buyout proves Mat Ishbia has learned from past mistakes.

This is turning into quite the offseason for the Suns and their front office - and after years of trying to cut corners and build a winner through spending money - owner Mat Ishbia and General Manager Brian Gregory are now taking a more measured approach. To turn Beal and Kevin Durant into three rookies plus Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks is an impressive feat given how stuck they have been.

Since the day he took over the team - swinging to acquire Durant almost immediately after signing on the dotted line - Ishbia has not been afraid to spend massive sums of money to build a winner. Only for all of the dollars that have exited his bank account, the team had exactly zero postseason victories to show for Durant's two full seasons with the Suns.

Ishbia also failed to grasp the need to build an identity on the court, opting instead to believe that that offensive firepower of Durant, Beal and Devin Booker could overcome the myriad of other issues that came up once they combined forces. Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer were added to bring championship-winning head coach experience to the sidelines, and that also failed.

But by getting rid of Beal and getting below that pesky second apron, the Suns will now be in position this summer to continue to build their roster by being more active in the trade market. Once Beal is gone the front office will be able to aggregate salaries when making trades, which makes the likelihood of Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale and Nick Richards moving on even more likely.

If the Suns can get back a draft pick or two - and perhaps another younger player to pair with what they've got cooking - all of a sudden they'll be set up much better for the future. With Booker having added two years to his own current deal, the Suns will be able to go after notable free agents next summer with more cap space.

They would be doing so the right way, instead of giving up the farm for Durant and landing themselves with the only player not named LeBron James (and somehow, Moe Wagner) with a no-trade clause in Beal. It took Ishbia losing a lot of money and having nothing to show for it to realize he had to change his approach. Thankfully now he has, and the Suns are already profitting.