The Suns could buy out Bradley Beal without stretching his contract, and here’s how it works.
A Bradley Beal buyout feels imminent for the Phoenix Suns. It’s not a move I necessarily support, but if the organization has reached an impasse and sees no other path forward, then my opinion becomes irrelevant. This is the reality now. It’s how they’ve chosen to move.
At this point, it’s not a matter of if. It’s when.
And that shifts the conversation to the numbers. Will the Suns stretch a $97 million settlement over five years? That would place roughly $22 million in dead money on the books annually through 2029–30.
But there’s another path.
Most of the discussion has centered on a stretch provision scenario. What hasn’t been fully explored is a potential buyout where the Suns eat the contract over the next two years instead. If they go that route, the 15% dead cap restriction from stretching the contract wouldn’t apply. It’s cleaner, more painful up front, but potentially more strategic in the long run.
Either way, it’s a defining moment for how Phoenix handles the fallout from a gamble gone wrong.
So how does a Bradley Beal buyout actually work if Phoenix chooses not to stretch it, you know, mathematically?
Beal is owed $110.8 million over the next two seasons — $53.7 million this year and $57.1 million next. That means roughly 48.5% of his contract is tied to this season, and 51.5% to the next.
If the Suns negotiate a buyout — whether it’s for $100 million, $80 million, or some other figure — that same percentage split applies to how the cap hit is distributed.
For example:
- A $100M buyout hits the cap at $48.5M this year and $51.5M next
- A $80M buyout becomes $38.8M this season, $41.2M the next
Whatever the number, just apply the 48.5/51.5 split to understand the financial impact.
How does a Bradley Beal buyout hit the cap if the Suns don’t stretch it?
He’s owed $110.8M : $53.7M this year (48.5%), $57.1M next (51.5%).
Whatever the buyout number is, split it by that ratio.
$100M buyout = $48.5M cap hit this year, $51.5M next.
$80M = $38.8M / $41.2M. pic.twitter.com/VhneiC1iFK— John Voita, III (@DarthVoita) July 5, 2025
There are some who believe the Suns should simply send Bradley Beal home. Pay him $53.7 million to stay away from team activities, with the hope that frustration eventually leads him to request a trade himself. It’s a punitive approach. A pressure tactic. One that banks on ego, discomfort, and time to solve what cap math hasn’t.
But this is the other option. The one that exists between a hostile standoff and a long-term financial burden: a buyout at a reduced number, with the Suns absorbing the cap hit over the next two seasons instead of stretching it across five.
It’s not ideal, but it’s not devastating either. For those who want Beal gone without triggering a five-year penalty, it’s your Hannah Montana scenario. It’s the best of both worlds.
One way to soften the blow of this move is to think of it like paying a player sidelined by injury for the next two seasons. Imagine the Celtics carrying Jayson Tatum or the Pacers with Tyrese Haliburton. Both max contracts, both likely out all of next year with Achilles injuries. If the Suns buy out Beal for a reduced amount, it’s essentially the same: carrying an injured player’s cap hit for two seasons. It’s far from ideal, but it offers a way to internally rationalize the cost and move forward.
Why would Phoenix take this route?
Because while it doesn’t ease short-term pain, it does preserve long-term flexibility. It opens up a roster spot (how you doin’, CP3?), and if the math shakes out just right, it could sneak the Suns under the second apron, something they’re reportedly $5.9 million over, per Salary Swish, even before accounting for incoming rookie deals.
Is this a likely scenario? In speaking with Bobby Marks this morning, no. Why would Beal give up $30+ million?
As the inevitable waiving of Beal approaches, these are the calculations Phoenix is weighing. These are the motivations behind their negotiations.
The buyout number matters, not just for PR or savings, but because it will dictate the rest of their summer. Will they eat it over two years? Stretch it across five? Can they pivot and move Grayson Allen or Royce O’Neale? Will a key free agent suddenly be within reach?
Whatever comes next, it starts with this: how the Suns handle the most expensive mistake in franchise history. And how they move forward from it.
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