The Phoenix Suns lit up the NBA landscape on Sunday afternoon with their blockbuster acquisition of Bradley Beal. A three-time All-Star, Beal was long mentioned in trade rumors dating back several seasons, but his market really heated up this past week with the realization that the Washington Wizards are more than just one piece away from championship contention.
While the Suns may have won the Beal sweepstakes, as you can imagine, several teams were interested in landing the soon-to-be 30-year-old star shooting guard.
We know the Miami Heat had interest, with Beal said to be deciding between waiving his no-trade clause either for Miami or for Phoenix. We know what happened now, but there were also a few other teams who didn’t quite make it to the stage of two finalists. Who were they?
According to Shams Charania, the Sacramento Kings also made a push of some sort for the excellent three-level scorer, but they’re not the only contender to do so. Shams reported that the Milwaukee Bucks also made a last-ditch effort to trade for Beal and even had some of their team officials talk to the former Wizards star on Saturday in an effort to sway his decision.
Ultimately, we know now Beal wanted to head to Phoenix, but envisioning the stud scorer next to Giannis Antetokoumpo in Milwaukee could have presented a fascinating scenario in the East too.
The Bucks also have some key decisions to make this offseason, with Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez both expected to hit the open market. There’s a sense the Bucks want to retain both of their key players, but perhaps an alternative reality, one that led them to Beal, would have altered plans. Of course, now we’ll never know.
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