Just because this trade won’t ever happen doesn’t mean we can’t dream.
Not too long ago, I discovered a wrinkle in the new CBA that actually allows second-tax apron teams like the Suns to aggregate salaries in a trade. That wrinkle is that they can aggregate salaries in a trade that results in them falling below the second tax apron.
That started me thinking about how the Phoenix Suns might actually be able to use this wrinkle in a KD trade. While pondering the possibilities, a wild thought entered my mind: Could the Suns actually trade Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal together in a single trade?
We need to trade KD, and we want to trade Beal, but that nasty little NTC of his keeps getting in the way. Maybe he’d waive it if he and KD were being traded together somewhere? Perhaps, but this is a fantasy trade idea, so let’s assume that he would. Sure, no other NBA team would actually want to do such a trade (not without a massive amount of tequila shots thrown down during the negotiations) even if it was possible, but curiosity got the best of me, and on a whim, I decided to give it a shot.
And it worked.
Suns receive: Jordan Poole, Marcus Smart, Richaun Holmes, Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, Saddiq Bey
Wizards receive: Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal
Why the Suns do it:
They were sober.
Why the Wizards do it:
They were not.
Of course it’s a bad trade for Washington and it has no chance of happening but who cares. It gets a good return for Durant, moves Beal’s contract and gets the Suns below the 2nd tax apron all in one fell swoop! It even makes a little bit of warped sense because the trade sends both KD and Beal “home” to DC (KD was born there and Beal of course played there for 11 seasons).
Now you see why they don’t want me writing too many mock trade articles here.
And just in case you’re wondering, the screenshot above from Spotrac’s trade machine was not photoshopped! This proposed trade actually does work according to NBA trade rules.
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