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A new era is about to begin for the Phoenix Suns. After trading Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets in a historic seven-team trade that was finalized on Sunday afternoon, the Suns and three-time All-Star guard Bradley Beal are expected to finalize a buyout agreement, league sources told ClutchPoints.
Talks of Beal and the Suns discussing a buyout intensified on Sunday afternoon, as the two parties began to formulate the structure of this agreement. These negotiations continued into the evening, at which point it became clear that while Beal would like to remain in Phoenix, the team no longer wants him on the roster, sources said.
As a result, a formal, official announcement is expected to come on Monday.
However, there are still some details that need to be finalized, including the exact amount of the proposed buyout agreement.
It is expected that Beal will give back around $14 million, the minimum amount Phoenix would need to waive-and-stretch his contract over the next several seasons and remain in line with the league's 15 percent rule about dead cap hits.
One of the key rules outlined in the new CBA agreement regarding buyouts and dead money on a team's books states that the amount of money stretched on a team's books can't exceed 15 percent of the salary cap in the year that the player was waived.
Since the Suns previously waived Nassir Little and EJ Liddell, two players who are incurring dead cap hits for the 2025-26 season, Phoenix can't exceed roughly $23.2 million in stretched money.
Little and Liddell equate to $3.8 million, meaning Beal's dead hit can't exceed $19.4 million. By giving up just about $14 million of his remaining $110.8 million through the 2026-27 season, that takes the former star's overall number down to $96.8 million, which can be stretched to about $19.3 million for the next five seasons.
This is one of the details of the buyout negotiations still being discussed.
If the number does come out to about $14 million that he gives back, Phoenix would be able to move below the first and second aprons, and Beal would become an unrestricted free agent, allowing him to choose his next home and still qualify to make up that $14 million he gave up with a new franchise's mid-level exception, sources said.
Beal, 32, joined the Suns in 2023 in a massive offseason trade. When owner Mat Ishbia took over, he was aggressive in his pursuit of Durant and Beal, as he sent four first-round pick swaps, six second-round picks, Chris Paul, and Landry Shamet to the Washington Wizards for the former All-NBA guard.
In two seasons with the Suns, Beal averaged 17.6 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 50.5 percent from the floor and 40.7 percent from 3-point range. He played in 106 of 164 total games with the Suns, who went 85-79 over the last two seasons, failing to make the playoffs during the 2024-25 season.
Next steps in Bradley Beal buyout talks and potential suitors
One of the main reasons why the Suns want to finalize a buyout with Beal is to create financial flexibility for themselves. Ishbia and new general manager Brian Gregory have been working hard to move pieces around and find ways to escape the tax penalties for the 2025-26 season after agreeing to trade Durant to the Rockets.
Buying Beal out of his contract and stretching the amount he is owed over the next five seasons doesn't sound pretty, but it immediately opens cap flexibility for the Suns to aggregate salaries and retain the ability to move their future draft picks at their choosing. More importantly, it undoes a failed experiment with three superstar talents in Phoenix that did not live up to its championship expectations.
Assuming buyout negotiations continue with no interruption and are ultimately finalized, Beal will become an unrestricted free agent and eligible to sign with any of the other 29 teams in the league upon clearing waivers.
Multiple teams around the league have already been anticipating the three-time All-Star hitting free agency, and Beal has been actively exploring what his options are, according to Marc Stein.
The Miami Heat have long held interest in Beal dating back to before he became a member of the Suns, sources told ClutchPoints. While the Heat were expected to be at the front of the line to sign him pending a buyout, that no longer appears to be the case after trading for Norman Powell.
Despite still having access to their $14.1 million mid-level exception, the Heat have hard-capped themselves at the first apron in their three-team trade with the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers involving Powell and John Collins. That means the Heat can't offer Beal more than about $3.9 million, which leads to speculation about other teams being in on Beal.
Other teams that are expected to pursue Beal include the Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, and Milwaukee Bucks. The Detroit Pistons and Denver Nuggets have been mentioned as potential suitors for Beal on the open market, yet ClutchPoints was unable to confirm potential interest from these two organizations.
The Clippers have put themselves at the forefront of talks surrounding Beal once he is bought out of his deal with the Suns, as trading Powell; has opened up a clear need for the star guard. Beal joining the Clippers has suddenly become the widespread belief around the NBA.
Beal will instantly be the most notable free agent on the open market right before the start of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas once he finalizes a buyout agreement with the Suns. It should not take long for him to find his next team.
