The Phoenix Suns are engaging in buyout talks (subscription required) with Bradley Beal, which would mean waiving and stretching his contract over the next five years. They will have $20-plus million sitting on their books every year until 2030 with no way to get it off. It will impact how the Suns build around Devin Booker and what moves they can make.
Acquiring Beal has turned into a disastrous move. The Suns went all-in on a third star, but the 6’4 wing never played like one in Phoenix. They won zero playoff games in his two seasons, including missing the postseason entirely in 2025. Beal put up numbers, but it never resulted in wins.
The Suns want Beal off their roster. He was demoted to a sixth-man role last season, and his injury concerns are growing. The 32-year-old hasn’t played more than 60 games in a season since 2019. Beal’s no-trade clause prevents the franchise from dealing him, which leaves just one painful way to get him off their roster.
Stretching Bradley Beal's contract would haunt the Suns for the next 5 years
Teams rarely waive and stretch massive salaries as it leaves them with a significant cap hit for years to come. They are also limited by the amount of dead money that can be on a cap sheet. In Beal’s case, the Suns have to convince him to give $14 million back to make a buyout possible. Beal moved his family to Phoenix and may not have interest in such a move.
His tenure with the Suns has been a disaster, but waive-and stretching his contract only makes it worse. Owner Mat Ishbia continues to discuss his team's potential to contend. That will be difficult to do with $20-plus million in dead money on their books. Beal won’t be traded, so the only other option is being stuck with him for next season.
The Suns have moves to make. Waiving and stretching Beal will get the Suns out of the luxury tax and save them millions of dollars, but creates more headaches. Contenders are always looking for ways to add talent. Paying over $20 million for someone who doesn’t play seems problematic and troublesome.
It is time for a breakup. Marc Stein reported the Heat and Bucks have interest if Beal becomes a free agent. Nobody wants to pay his massive salary, but Beal becomes an interesting piece at a significantly lesser rate.
During his time in Phoenix, Beal averaged 17.6 points, 4.3 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 32.1 minutes per game while shooting 50.5 percent from the field and north of 40 on his 3-point attempts. Those are strong numbers for a fourth option.
The Phoenix Suns cannot wait to dump Bradley Beal, but it will cost them significant cap space for the next five years. Ishbia is clearly cutting his spending and trying to help his team get back on track. It won’t be easy, but Beal may surprise in a different situation.
The doomsday scenario is here, and fans may be facing a lengthy rebuild without their draft picks. It is a bad situation and will only get worse no matter what route is taken. Such is the result of a new owner being too involved and messing up several key decisions. The Suns must right the ship immediately or everyone might go down on it.