1 Part of Bradley Beal's contract nobody is talking about (and it's actually good news)

With the tandem of Devin Booker and Kevin Durant representing the Phoenix Suns fantastically at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer, the third member of their star trio has had to watch on from the sidelines.

Bradley Beal might never have sniffed this particular version of Team USA, but the 31-year-old is still a multiple time All-Star who had found his feet and role in Phoenix towards the end of last season. He might be the third option offensively for the Suns, but that's no bad thing next to Booker and Durant.

The contract that Beal is currently on has been a sticking point from the moment he landed in The Valley, and he is still owed about $160 million across the next three seasons. Combine that with a no-trade clause that he also still has, and Beal and his body that continues to show signs of breaking down looks like an impossible player to move.

That is until you consider the one glaringly positive aspect of Beal's current contract.

He might be on a ton of money, but the NBA's salary cap continues to rise itself at a rapid rate. Per the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement, the cap cannot jump by more than 10 percent in any one season. This is so a situation like Durant joining the Golden State Warriors as he did in 2016 does not happen again.

But if you take a look at how the salary cap is predicted going forward - and this is only a rough estimate relative to where the league is at right now - it is right away good news for the Suns as long as they're in the Beal business. Next season for example Beal goes from making $50 million to $53 million.

Still a heap of cash, but the salary cap is predicted to increase by $14 million, from $140 to $154 million. This would allow the Suns to squeeze more role players into the cash that is left over once Beal, Booker and Durant have been paid. To add to this as well, Durant will be entering the final year of his deal.

It is true that the star trio's combination of contracts will rise relative to what the new cap will be, but that still shouldn't take away from the fact Beal's deal begins to look that bit better. Looking beyond 2025-26 and although many would predict Durant to come back on a new deal, if he somehow leaves it then creates even more space to try and sign other players.

Just as important - especially as the Suns continue to exist in the second apron - is what Beal's contract means when it comes to trades. The Suns currently can't take a dollar more back in a deal if they send a player out, and they can't stack contracts to go and get another highly paid individual either.

But assuming Beal is open to waiving that no-trade clause down the road - hardly a given but something he's surely explore if the fit felt right for him - making as much money as he does then becomes a good thing. If another organization wants out of their own albatross deal, swapping them for deal becomes a pretty straightforward thing to do.

One such example would be Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves. If they decide to go in a different direction, he's making $53 million just like Beal is next season. Other guys in the same ballpark include Paul George, Jimmy Butler and even Damian Lillard. Not that the market for Beal is hot right now, but it does at least create the chance for a move down the road.

Even if no trade ever does come together though, Beal's contract is not currently projected to rise at the same rate as the salary cap. Beginning in 2025-26 he's basically and expiring contract as well, as he enters the second last year of his deal. That final year might be a player option, but you can bet Beal is going to pick that up unless he knows he can get another monster deal elsewhere.

Which as of this moment he most certainly will not, but all of this just shows that it is not all doom and gloom having Beal in Phoenix. He's still not going anywhere for the time being - but when you consider the summer that Booker and Durant just had together in Paris - perhaps that is no bad thing either.