Despite all of the inconsistencies the Washington Wizards have faced through the years, the one constant for them has always been Bradley Beal. A three-time All-Star and All-NBA performer during the 2020-21 season, Beal has been one of the best offensive talents in the league through the years and he has been the face of the Wizards since being drafted third overall in 2012.

All good things must come to end though, and that was true for Beal and Washington this offseason. In what turned out to be the league's biggest transaction of the summer, the Wizards traded their veteran star to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet and multiple second-round picks. Paul was later dealt to the Golden State Warriors as part of a separate transaction made by the Wizards.

Beal now finds himself on the same team as Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, instantly creating the NBA's most fearsome offensive trio and one of the most talented groupings we have seen in recent memory. The Suns are all-in on competing for a championship right now and Beal will be a focal point for them all year long.

During their quest to win a title, Phoenix will bump into Washington twice during the regular season with their only road game against the Wizards being on February 4, 2024, per the NBA's official schedule release on Thursday. This will mark Beal's first time back in Washington D.C. since the big offseason trade.

Although he requested a trade from the Wizards and no longer wanted to be a part of the organization, there really shouldn't be any ill will thrown Beal's way. He gave it his all for the Wizards over the last decade and he even led them to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2017. They finished with a sub-.500 record in Beal's last five seasons with the organization, but he consistently proved to be their only true bright spot.

If he had remained healthy over the last handful of seasons, the Wizards could have potentially made the playoffs and who knows, maybe this would have made the organization a more attractive destination for other stars around the league. With Washington staring down a rebuild, it made sense for Beal and the franchise to part ways.

Over the last 11 seasons, Beal played in a total of 695 games with the Wizards. He has averaged 22.1 points, 4.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game while shooting 46.0 percent from the floor and 37.2 from three-point range for his career.

Washington and Phoenix met twice during the 2022-23 season with the Wizards defeating the Suns in both meetings. Beal played in just one of these games, scoring 27 points on 8-20 shooting.