The Phoenix Suns are going all-in for a championship this season. After they were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals, the Suns, majority owner Mat Ishbia and general manager James Jones built a roster that might be the best in team history.

Phoenix traded for Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal in June, a move that will give it the best scoring trio in the NBA with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.

Beal, who is 30 years old, is a three-time NBA All-Star who is one of the best scorers in the league. He has a scoring average of 22.1 points per game for his career.

Beal was able to come to Phoenix thanks to his no trade clause, in which he had the right to veto any trade in which he is involved. The Suns swapped aging point guard Chris Paul, guard Landry Shamet and five second-round picks, among other assets, for Beal.

Here are his expectations for his first year with the Suns.

Trade to Phoenix

Beal said he wanted to finish his career in Washington and was loyal to the Wizards franchise. He appeared to have a change of heart this offseason and pushed to come to Phoenix, where he has a chance to be a part of one of the most skilled offenses in NBA history if the team meets expectations.

Here is what Beal said about coming to the Valley.

“This is an exciting moment for me. This is an awesome team. Like (Suns) coach (Frank Vogel) said, we have a very, very awesome corps that I'm just happy to be a part of, and excited to push these guys every single day and learn from them as well.”

Statistics (2022-23)

PPG: 23.2

APG: 5.4

RPG: 3.9

FG%: 50.6 (career-high)

3FG%: 36.5

Strengths

Beal is a three-level scorer and a great facilitator as a shooting guard. He was seen as an excellent shooter as a draft prospect and exceeded those expectations.

Beal has been the No. 1 option for all of his career. He can create his own shot, score following off-ball actions and finish at the rim.

For the first time in his career, Beal will not be the vocal point of opposing defenses. He talked about what that means at his first press conference in Phoenix.

“I see it as free-flowing,” Beal said of the Suns' offense alongside Booker. “I don't think either of us really have a position. Like he can create, he can facilitate, he can shoot the ball, he can score the ball. And I can do the same thing. I think it's an interchangeable thing and whoever gets it, goes.”

Like Booker, Beal was a very loyal player to the Wizards franchise. He helped the team advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals three times and stuck around for a rebuild, signing a five-year, $251 million supermax deal in July 2022.

It is unclear why Beal changed his motives, but he is 30 years old and likely wants to compete for a title. He will get that chance with the Suns and more open shots next to Booker and Durant.

“I get antsy just thinking about it, because I haven't had those opportunities,” Beal said. “And it's the same with the other two guys (Booker and Durant), and (starting center) [Deandre Ayton]. It's crazy, when I met these guys, it's the first thing James said, like, ‘OK, when we played you, we pretty much doubled you when we had the ball.' But, with you with us, who are you going to doule team? What are your rotations going to look like?' So like, just that two seconds, I was like, ‘Damn, that makes a lot of sense.'”

The Suns maximized their return on Paul by trading for Beal, who is a scorer they needed versus the Nuggets. Now, they have an offense that could be very dynamic.

Frank Vogel on Beal

“I'm very comfortable with Beal and Booker as the starting backcourt…the pace that we want o play with, I think most possessions are going to have different ball-handlers each time down. It's going to be a multiple ball-handler attack, but I'm comfortable with those guys.”

“Bradley Beal is one of the best players in the NBA, and we're thrilled to have him be a Phoenix Sun with KD and Book. We form a trio of of three of the most prolific scorers in the game, a great two-way center and one of the best centers in the game (Ayton). And these pieces are a great foundation for what we hope can be a championship run for this franchise.”

“Bradley hasn't always had the pieces around him to win a championship, but there's an old saying that we used to say back when I was in Indiana (with the Pacers) and I was able to carry it through with the (Los Angeles) Lakers, that ‘champions before like champions before they're champions.' And I believe Bradley's carried himself that way and performed that way throughout his career. And hopefully now, he's got the pieces around him to help him achieve that goal.”

Development

Beal conceded during his press conference the Suns are “Book Nation.” Booker was the team's best player during its 2023 playoff run with Durant, and at 26 years old, he is just entering his prime.

Booker and Durant will likely be the top two scorers for the Suns. Beal will be an extremely important player, but his role will change. It remains to be seen how the Suns, associate head coach Kevin Young — who is credited for his offensive knowledge — and Vogel build offensive sets with those stars.

What we can infer is that Beal could come off screens and play a catch-and-shoot type of role next to Booker and Durant. In 2022-23 with the Wizards, Beal shot 48.8 percent off screens.

He is a player who does a lot of damage off drives to the rims, pull-ups and an assortment of jumpers. Of his 878 field goals attempted last season, Beal shot 162 pull-ups (made 69, or 42.6 percent), 150 driving layups (made 85, or 56.7 percent) and 133 step-back shots (made 60, or 45.1 percent).

It is unlikely Beal will have to score as much on his own. He could see his corner 3-point attempts shoot up. He will certainly get some isolation looks, but it remains to be seen how the Suns will balance set plays and letting their offense flow freely with three dynamic scorers.

Beal is rumored to be the Suns' starting point guard to start the season. He averaged 5.4 assists per game this past season after he averaged a career-best 6.6 in 2021-22.

Beal had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.86 this past season.

Expectations

Beal will join Booker and Durant to try and win the Suns' first-ever championship. Beal said he is excited to work with this team, and he is a very important upgrade on a roster that might have been good enough to beat the Nuggets if Paul did not injure his groin in Game 2.

Beal will have to adjust from being the No. 1 offensive option to the third choice. It is a luxury he has playing next to Booker and Durant, and he said at his press conference he is welcoming it.

Health has been somewhat of a concern for Beal the last four seasons. After he played at least 77 games from 2016-17 to 2018-19, Beal has played 57, 60, 40, and 50 games, respectively, in the last four seasons. He said at his press conference this is the first time he's been healthy in a few years to work in the offseason.

Booker and Durant have had injury concerns in the past, so it is possible the Suns will play two or even just one of their stars on a given night. Beal could see his role expand at any time, and he is ready for it.

If Phoenix is going to win a championship, it needs Beal to be a facilitator, excellent teammate and great scorer. He seems to be a high-level character player, as Vogel mentioned. He will need to prove it to Suns fans this year.