The Phoenix Suns’ experiment with a superteam of stars Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal has gone disastrously, as the team got swept in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs and has already missed out on the 2025 NBA Playoffs entirely.
Beal seemingly deserves some blame for the lack of success that the Suns have enjoyed with their star trio, as he has yet to really find his footing with the team.
While Beal has not lived up to expectations in Phoenix, an NBA source “in the know” has indicated that the Miami Heat could be among the teams in the mix for Beal if he gets bought out. Suns insider John Gambadoro relayed the info.
“I spoke with somebody in the NBA last night, and I was like, ‘Okay, let’s talk about where he’s gonna go,'” Gambadoro said of Beal during a podcast episode. “He said, ‘Miami, Denver, Golden State, possibly San Antonio.’ And this is somebody that’s in the know. And that’s what he said to me. Miami or Denver are two teams that he could go to if there was ever a buyout. Says also keep your eye on Golden State and maybe the [San Antonio] Spurs depending on the next coach.”
The Heat were linked to Beal before he was traded to Phoenix, but Miami appeared to have concerns about what a trade for the veteran would have meant. There were roster and financial factors at play.
That was quite a bit of time ago, however, and Miami is in great need of more scoring punch now that forward Jimmy Butler is a member of the Golden State Warriors. The Heat have had one of the worst offenses in the NBA this season, ranking 24th in the league in points per game and 21st in offensive rating.
It’s arguable as to whether Beal would instantly be Miami’s best scorer if he got dealt to the squad, as guard Tyler Herro is putting the ball through the net with a new level of confidence in his sixth NBA season and was named an All-Star for the first time earlier in the year.
But Beal would certainly be Miami’s most accomplished scoring threat. At times during his Washington Wizards tenure, he scored the ball with the best of them, as he put together consecutive seasons where he averaged 30-plus points per game. He scored a career-high 31.3 points per contest while shooting 48.5 percent from the field in the 2020-21 campaign.
