Bradley Beal Was Risky But Necessary Move by Suns

The Suns' acquisition of Washington Wizards' star Bradley Beal is intriguing. How can Phoenix utilize Beal and build the roster around the three stars to make it work?

ESPN senior insider Adrian Wojnarowski dropped an absolute bombshell on Sunday afternoon. The Phoenix Suns are in the process of finalizing a trade to acquire the services of Washington Wizards franchise player Bradley Beal. 

The trade is centered around a package of Chris Paul and Landry Shamet, along with multiple second round picks per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

A big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Beal should be extremely potent on the offensive side of the ball, but this proposition likely gives a portion of Suns' fandom trepidation. 

A chunk of the fanbase has decided that the best course of action is focusing on depth over adding another star to the equation. The main questions are how will general manager James Jones approach free agency to round the roster out - and how will Beal be utilized on offense?

The thing that has to be understood is the cost for Beal was minimal. There's also sure to be solid veteran contributors that will be more than willing to sign for a vet's minimum for a good chance at a ring. 

Arizona Sports' Suns insider John Gambadoro has already stated that Phoenix intends to bring Jock Landale, Torrey Craig, Josh Okogie, and Bismack Biyombo back for next season. 

Players such as Yuta Watanabe, Justin Holiday, Trey Lyles, Mason Plumlee, and Josh Richardson are names to look out for in the market. These players will likely be affordable for Phoenix and all bring different things to the table in terms of complimenting the newly formed big three.

The other pressing question is how will Beal be effectively integrated into the Suns offense and how will his defensive deficiencies be dealt with? 

The simple answer is that Beal and Booker are two of the best off-ball players in the entire association and maximize each touch they receive. Add Durant into the fray and these three stars are relatively unselfish players for the stature of each. The offense should be among the league's most potent if not the most.

Bradley Beal’s off ball scoring game is insane. He’s great at coming of screens for mid ranges and is one of the deadliest DHO partners in the league. He’s 2nd in the league in possessions off screens and 4th in possessions off hand offs. pic.twitter.com/DcsvMzRrAb

— YD (World Series Champion) (@MondgreenG) May 24, 2021

The biggest concern is how new head coach Frank Vogel will scheme Beal into the defense. Vogel has proven to be quite good at being able to hide the "pigeon" of the defense in his previous stops, but much of his ability to in Phoenix will tie directly into the personnel moves James Jones can make in the coming weeks. 

The retention of players such as Torrey Craig and Josh Okogie, along with the ascension of Devin Booker on the defensive side will certainly help. 

This was certainly a risky move by Mat Ishbia and James Jones, but it was a necessary one. Only time will tell if this risk will reap the ultimate reward.