The latest domino in The Valley finally fell on Wednesday, with the Phoenix Suns officially buying out Bradley Beal from the remainder of his two year, $110 million deal. Shams Charania of ESPN breaking the news that Suns fans had seemingly been waiting weeks for, ever since this version of the team was brought to an end with the departure of Kevin Durant.
It is expected that Beal will sign with the L.A. Clippers once he clears waivers, on a contract that is much more suited to where the 32-year-old is at in his career right now. Two years and roughly $11 million - with the cruel irony being that had he been on that deal in Phoenix - he likely would have been viewed as a positive asset.
Suns now officially free from one of worst contracts in franchise history.
Beal's tenure with the Suns goes down as nothing short of a disaster, and the fact he had a no-trade clause was among the worst aspects of having him on the roster at all. There were rumored to be suitors for his services as far back as the trade deadline - the Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks two teams mentioned in the past - but that didn't go anywhere.
Instead the Suns will likely have to carry the remainder of his salary - outside of the near $14 million he is giving back in order for this to happen - for five years as they stretch-and-waive the deal. That is some price to pay to be free from the player, which is yet another reason it goes down as one of the worst deals - if not the worst - that Phoenix has ever done.
I wish Bradley Beal well in LA. I get why the fanbase turned on him, but a lot of the toxicity went way further than basketball and was uncalled for. Just wasn't a good fit and couldn't stay healthy. There was no animosity on the Suns' end, but it was time to move on
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) July 16, 2025
In the moment it made sense to move on from an ageing Chris Paul - but if the front office had known this was going to end up being the reality - they surely wouldn't have done the deal. On a more optimistic note the Suns are now out of both the first and second aprons, a purgatory it felt like they would never escape throughout the Durant and Beal era alongside Devin Booker.
That perhaps opens up the possibility of trading for this young starlet who is soon to be on the move out West, while the Suns can now stack contracts together in trades. This means the possibility of packaging the likes of Grayson Allen and Nick Richards together - plus perhaps a second round pick or two - in order to see what they could get back.
There is no doubt that the Suns are now going all in on youth as they rebuild around Booker, although it is clear it is going to take some time for these players to even get close to realizing their potential. Beal was the most expensive mistake in franchise history as well - but now that he has left for Los Angeles - fans in The Valley can get excited about their team once again. It's been a while.