The Suns can also be questioned for opting to trade for Beal to begin with. The summer of 2023 is one that Phoenix could have theoretically made a trade push for 2018 MVP James Harden during. There’s no guarantee that this pairing would have worked either, but the Arizona State alum would have come at a significantly cheaper price, and also would have fulfilled the need for an elite playmaker that Beal simply couldn’t provide.
