The Whiteboard: Why teams should be more willing to trade for Bradley Beal

The latest reporting makes it clear that Jimmy Butler aims to get traded to the Phoenix Suns. NBA insider Chris Haynes reported on Tuesday that the Memphis Grizzlies have been told not to trade for Butler.

Butler, who can exercise his player option and become a free agent this summer, wields a certain amount of power. But any trade with the Suns is complicated by Bradley Beal’s depressed trade value. 

Because the Suns are above the second apron, they cannot take more salary back in a deal, nor can they aggregate contracts in a trade. That means they can only trade Kevin Durant, Devin Booker or Beal straight up for Butler. Obviously, the first two are off the table. That leaves Beal, who the Heat are unwilling to take back in a trade for Butler because of his contract, age and no-trade clause. 

As has been reported, the Heat and Suns are working to find a third team to take Beal and send assets to the Heat in a multi-team framework that sends Butler to Phoenix.

But is Beal really that untouchable? 

He shouldn’t be, at least not for the right team.

When Beal was first traded to the Suns, he had four years and about $208 million left on his contract, along with the no-trade clause. But now, any team acquiring Beal would be left with about $111 million over the next two seasons (assuming he picks up his player option in 2026). Not saying that paying Beal in his age 32 and 33 seasons north of $50 million is great, but it’s not the albatross it once was for a team light on payroll.

Organizations with young, cheap rosters should consider trading for Beal as long as he arrives with Phoenix’s unprotected 2031 first-round pick.

The logic: Wait out Beal’s contract and land one of the most valuable assets in the league. A golden lottery ticket that could land at the top of the draft or be used as the centerpiece in a star deal later.

By 2031, Durant and Butler will have retired. Booker will be 35. The Suns don’t control their own draft between now and then and will likely struggle to rebuild when this chapter is over. By the likeliest estimations, that pick could end up being a top-five selection. And with it being all the way out in 2031, there is plenty of runway to use it in a star trade in the near term.

The bonus of trading for Beal is that he can be helpful on the right team, but isn’t good enough to foil any rebuilding plans in the short term. 

Beal can help teams like the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons that are positioned to make a run at the play-in tournament. He’s not the 30-point scorer he once was, but he’s a 40% 3-point shooter who is showing more juice on the defensive end. 

Plug him in San Antonio, where he can play off Chris Paul and space the floor for Victor Wembanyama, and the Spurs can make a push to get Wemby valuable playoff experience in his second season while adding an asset they can use to build around him.

The Pistons, who will be without Jaden Ivey for the rest of the season, can use Beal’s spacing and occasional ball-handling to spell Cade Cunningham. A year from now, they could shop a package of Beal’s expiring contract and Phoenix’s 2031 pick for a star or multiple players to bolster their roster.

Both teams make sense for Beal. But, as Beal told reporters on Monday night, he holds the cards. He would have to waive his no-trade clause in order to facilitate a deal. The Suns are gently applying pressure, having benched him ahead of Monday’s game, something Beal said “100 percent” surprised him.

His agent Mark Bartelstein told ESPN that Beal and the Suns “have had no talks about waiving his no-trade clause.” Bartelstein would not go so far as to rule out a trade altogether.

Bartelstein did not rule out possibly of waiving the clause for an approved deal, as Beal did in 2023 when he was traded to the Suns, if a "perfect" situation came up. But that action is not currently under consideration, Bartelstein reiterated.

Beal could find a more prominent role and a successful situation elsewhere. Funny enough, the Spurs and Pistons are currently better positioned than the Suns to make the playoffs. San Antonio is a game ahead of the 12th-placed Suns and Wembanyama is playing like a top-10 player. Meanwhile, the 18-18 Pistons are in seventh in the East and have a legitimate chance of making the playoffs. 

Beal waiving his no-trade clause could be the best decision for everyone involved.

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NBA news and rumors roundup

• The Memphis Grizzlies have been informed not to trade for Jimmy Butler, sources told NBA insider Chris Haynes. The Grizzlies had been increasingly mentioned as a potential landing spot for Butler in recent days. Butler has a certain amount of leverage given that he can opt out of his contract after this season. It’s unclear if this warning flare will prevent them from making a deal.

• Zion Williamson made his return to the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night after missing two months with a left hamstring strain. He tallied 22 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals and one highlight dunk in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

• A wild ending to Tuesday night’s game between the Hawks and Jazz is worth watching. Collin Sexton made a game-tying 3-pointer with four seconds left and, while Jazz fans were still celebrating, Trae Young sunk a 50-foot heave to win the game. 

Get your popcorn ready

Tonight, the league’s top offense will meet the league’s top defense in one of the most anticipated tilts of the regular season.

That’s right, I’m talking about your Cleveland Cavaliers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, airing nationally in the early slot on ESPN. Hooray, small markets!

But these small-market teams have so far been the class of their respective conferences. They are a combined 61-9 and own the top two net ratings this season (Oklahoma City at plus-12.1 and Cleveland at plus-11.5.) It’s been a full month since either team has lost a basketball game.

The Cavaliers are torching opponents with the NBA’s top-rated offense. They are scoring a scintillating 121.3 points per 100 possessions. They lead the league in 3-point shooting percentage (40.4) and true shooting (62.1).

The Thunder are suffocating opponents with the NBA’s top-rated defense. Teams are mustering just 102.7 points per 100 possessions when they play the Thunder, who lead the league in steals (11.8 per game), deflections (22.3) and opponent 3-point shooting (32.7 percent). Opponents are turning the ball over on 18.7 percent of their possessions against Oklahoma City.

Interestingly enough, these teams also have the ability to turn the water off on a source of offense that they both rely on: Points off turnovers. 

Oklahoma City averages a league-high 23.3 points off turnovers per game, while Cleveland averages the second-most at 20.4. These teams also take care of the ball better than nearly every team in the league. Oklahoma City turns the ball over on an NBA-best 11.8 percent of their possessions, while Cleveland turns it over on 12.9 percent, third behind only the Thunder and Celtics.

The Thunder and Cavaliers are running roughshod through the league largely because they turn the other team over while taking care of the ball themselves. This matchup will test that and force them to find other sources of offense. For the Cavs, it could be from beyond the arc. For the Thunder, reprieve has typically been found at the foul line.

Both teams will be rested and ready, getting two full days off since last playing on Sunday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Williams, Darius Garland, the No. 1 defense, the No. 1 offense. At stake? A claim as the NBA’s team to beat, and the league’s longest winning streak.