Suns Chose Bradley Beal Over Jordan Poole

The Phoenix Suns could have acquired Jordan Poole from the Golden State Warriors.

The Phoenix Suns' trade for Bradley Beal is reportedly finalized, and now the team can officially move forward into the offseason after adding another All-NBA player to a roster that already features Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. 

Phoenix is receiving Bradley Beal, Jordan Goodwin and Isaiah Todd heading in exchange for Landry Shamet, Chris Paul, a slew of second-round picks with future pick swaps back to the Washington Wizards.

Along with an unspecified amount of cash, ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski says the final deal involved six second-round draft picks and four first-round pick swaps. "Suns are sending seconds in 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028 and 2030. Pick swaps in 2024, 2026, 2028 and 2030," he put in a tweet.

The Wizards wasted no time with moving Paul, trading him to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Jordan Poole among other assets. TNT's Chris Haynes reports the Warriors plan on keeping Paul rather than waiving him, putting him in a backcourt with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. 

The deal with Golden State was a separate from the trade Washington worked out with Phoenix - there was some speculation the deal between the Suns-Wizards was taking so long to finalize because a third team was being pursued. 

Poole now heads to Washington, though Arizona Sports' John Gambadoro is reporting the Suns could have traded for Poole rather than Beal.

"Trading Chris Paul to Golden State for Jordan Poole was an option for the Suns. In the end they determined that Bradley Beal was a better player/fit for what they wanted," said Gambadoro in a tweet.

Trading Chris Paul to Golden State for Jordan Poole was an option for the Suns. In the end they determined that Bradley Beal was a better player/fit for what they wanted.

— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) June 22, 2023

The Suns - looking to push all their chips to the middle of the table with a major trade - accomplished just that. 

Poole is just 24-years-old and still has plenty of growth left in the league. He's flashed his talent on more than one occasion, and that's why the Warriors were happy to hand him a four-year, $128 million contract. 

Beal's stats heavily outweigh Poole's in every single category, though Beal himself is five years older and was a primary scoring option in Washington. The same can't be said for Poole, who played behind scorers such as Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. 

Bradley Beal's stats far outweigh Jordan Poole's. 

The Suns are looking to win, and win now. Beal's profile and resume best fits that description, though Poole comes at a cheaper cost ($32 million annually compared to Beal's $50 million annually) and is younger. 

However, the Suns were ultimately looking for a top scorer behind Booker/Durant, and it's tough to find a better available option than Beal. 

Both were interesting roads for Phoenix to choose, though Beal helps their championship window remain open the most.