Wizards Land Chris Paul, Former Sixer In Bradley Beal Blockbuster

The Washington Wizards picked up a couple of new players on Sunday in the Bradley Beal blockbuster deal.

Over the last few summers, Bradley Beal trade rumors have come and gone without any real traction. This time around, that wasn’t the case. Not only did the Washington Wizards finally part ways with Beal after over a decade, but trade talks gained steam rather quickly.

On Sunday, it was reported that Bradley Beal would be shipped to the Phoenix Suns in the first blockbuster of the 2023 offseason. Beal joins a top-heavy Phoenix team that already possessed Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton before trading for Kevin Durant ahead of last year’s trade deadline.

Adding Beal to the mix won’t help Phoenix with its depth issue, but it surely gives the Suns more star power in their starting lineup. As for the Washington Wizards, they didn’t necessarily demand a significant package for Beal, despite him being one of the top-scoring guards in the game.

It was clear from the jump that the Wizards would have to take less in a Beal trade this time around. Since Beal signed a max contract last year, which contains a no-trade clause, the financials attached to his deal made it difficult to move Beal for the ideal pieces.

In exchange for Beal and Jordan Goodwin, the Wizards are expected to land the veteran guard Chris Paul, former Philadelphia 76ers first-round pick Landry Shamet, and multiple second-round picks.

It’s no surprise seeing Chris Paul get moved in the deal. Not only would Beal and Booker’s presence together leave Paul without a starting role in Phoenix, but the Suns were already looking to either trade or waive Paul before the veteran’s contract would be guaranteed.

Former Sixers guard Landry Shamet also finds his fifth NBA home since 2018. When Shamet initially entered the NBA as the 26th overall pick out of Wichita State, he was a young sharpshooter in Philadelphia that looked like he could become JJ Redick’s successor.

However, Shamet ended up being the top piece in the blockbuster deal that netted the Sixers Tobias Harris ahead of the 2019 trade deadline. Shamet would spend the rest of the 2018-2019 season and the 2019-2020 season on the Los Angeles Clippers before making a move to the Brooklyn Nets for one year. In 2021, Shamet went to Phoenix, where he would play the next two seasons.

Now, the former Sixer finds his way back into the Eastern Conference to play with the Wizards. Although the Wizards were participants in a blockbuster deal on Sunday, it’s clear they are the team that won’t improve soon. By trading Beal, the Wizards officially signaled they are headed for a rebuild on Sunday.