Bradley Beal chose the Phoenix Suns over interest from the Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks and Sacramento Kings to effectively force the Washington Wizards into trading him to the desert.
After narrowing down the shortlist to two, Miami or Phoenix, Beal opted for the latter. A decision came after indicating he would only waive his no-trade clause if it meant moving to the Suns.
That left the two franchises to thrash out a trade, which they are still finalizing. Phoenix are understood to have tabled two proposals to land Beal.
One centred around their former number one pick, Deandre Ayton. The other package, which the Wizards are proceeding with, features 12-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul and five-year veteran Landry Shamet.
In opting for the latter option, Washington and its new front office favour future cap flexibility. The deal includes two experienced players on expiring contracts, plenty of second-round picks, and several picks swaps.
The Athletic reports that Wizards backup guard Jordan Goodwin is another player likely to be thrown into the trade, with two more experienced guards joining the roster, at least initially. Whether Paul will stick around is still to be decided.
Washington is reportedly interested in the point guard playing for them next season. They, however, acknowledge Paul may prefer being rerouted to a contending team instead. The trade is yet to be rubber-stamped to allow the potential for a team pursuing Paul to become involved.
Whether or not Paul ends up in the DMV, moving Beal is the surest sign that the Wizards will become a rebuilding franchise over the coming seasons. The move has happened following the firing of team president and general manager Tommy Sheppard.
Majority owner Ted Leonsis made that decision just days after the regular season ended, with Washington finishing 12th in the Eastern Conference for the second straight year. The Wizards have missed the playoffs in four of the last five seasons.
Leonsis has since appointed Michael Winger as president of Monumental Basketball, which oversees his NBA franchise, the WNBA 's Washington Mystics and their G-League affiliate Capital City Go-Go. Will Dawkins is their new GM.
Trading Beal less than 12 months after the previous regime signed their franchise player to a five-year, £251 million extension is their first move. More decisions about player personnel are to follow soon.
Their starting center, Kristaps Porzingis, and wing, Kyle Kuzma, both have player options to decide upon in the coming days. Wednesday, 21 June, is the deadline for the pair to opt into the extra year of their respective contracts.
Declining those options would allow them to enter unrestricted free agency. Kuzma has already made clear his intention to do just that. Whether Porzingis will do the same is less clear-cut. But what is for sure is that the trade sending Beal out West is only the start of their offseason activity.
