Should Miami Heat Make Another Attempt At Bradley Beal This Offseason?

Bradley Beal and the Phoenix Suns were eliminated from the playoffs Sunday night.

Jan 29, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) dribbles the basketball / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The Phoenix Suns were on the receiving end of a sweep Sunday night by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

After beginning the season with championship expectations, they slowly dissolved throughout the regular season before ending with an' elimination in the first round.

The trio of Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker was not enough to compete for a title … or even a playoff victory. Now, Beal is back in trade rumors because the Suns are seemingly looking for any course of action following the disappointment.

The question is this: After a few failed attempts in the past, should the Miami Heat once again pursue Beal?

Beal said Miami his preferred destination in an interview with Andscape last October.

“My initial favorite was Miami, and so, we call Miami," Beal said. "Pat [Riley] says, 'Well, I’ll go talk to Micky [Arison] and figure it out.' So he goes, talks to Micky, we go, we hear back [New York] Knicks, Sacramento, Brooklyn a little bit, and then it was Milwaukee and it was one more big team … And that was kind of one of the most difficult things about every trade and every team. And I respect and love every team, but a lot of them just couldn’t do it because the money was just so high."

Beal would have a larger role as an offensive threat in Miami.

He would play on a more experienced team that is better defensively, allocating him to create shots and produce offense in the backcourt. He would complement Jimmy Butler as Miami's No. 2 scorer. Just imagine if Beal were with the Heat now because of the Butler injury?

There is still a chance Beal lands in Miami but many reasons exist to believe the trade would never work. Miami would lose many core pieces because many would be included in the trade, putting them in the same position as the Suns. The Suns' lack of depth is what doomed them against the Timberwolves.

Beal also didn't make the best case for himself with a slightly underwhelming series against Minnesota. He averaged just 16.5 points, including a nine-point Game 4 performance with six fouls and six turnovers.

This is all speculation, of course. But after an underachieving display like this, any theoretical scenarios are brought to the forefront because it's the Heat. They are always part of any offseason trade speculation involving a big-name player.

Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.

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