Back in June, the Washington Wizards traded guard Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns in a three-team trade that also involved the Indiana Pacers.
The Miami Heat were rumored to be frontrunners in the Beal sweepstakes before he landed in Phoenix, but a recent report indicates that the Heat were turned off by the idea of inheriting Beal’s no-trade clause.
“Even though the Heat holds Bradley Beal in high regard, we hear one major reason the Heat didn’t pursue a Beal trade earlier this offseason was because it philosophically doesn’t like the idea of inheriting a no-trade clause,” Barry Jackson wrote. “Beal’s no-trade clause came with him to Phoenix.”
Beal was selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft after a one-season stint playing college basketball at the University of Florida. He averaged 14.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in 37 games played with the Gators during the 2011-12 season.
The 6-foot-4 shooting guard has played 11 seasons in the NBA, all as a member of the Wizards franchise. He averaged 23.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game across 50 appearances with the Wizards during the 2022-23 regular season. Beal also shot 50.6 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from behind the three-point arc.
Despite Beal’s productive 2022-23 regular season, the Wizards didn’t experience a lot of success from a collective standpoint. They finished the regular season with a subpar 35-47 record and ended up with a 19-22 home record and 16-25 road record.
Beal didn’t enjoy much playoff success during his decade-plus stint with the Wizards. He reached the second round of the playoffs three times and never even played in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The last time Beal reached the second round of the playoffs with the Wizards was back in 2017. The Wizards were eliminated by Isaiah Thomas, Al Horford and the Boston Celtics in that series in seven games. Beal averaged 24.0 points and 3.1 assists per game for the series.
It’s understandable as to why the Heat were reportedly turned off by Beal’s no-trade clause. After all, Beal is already 30 years old and will be making over $46 million in each of the next three seasons, including a little more than $53 million in the 2025-26 season.
