{"id":31330,"date":"2025-07-23T13:52:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T13:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/31330\/"},"modified":"2025-07-23T13:52:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T13:52:13","slug":"will-bradley-beal-damian-lillard-trades-be-remembered-among-nbas-worst-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/31330\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Bradley Beal, Damian Lillard trades be remembered among NBA\u2019s worst ever?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Bounce Newsletter\u00a0\":basketball:\"\u00a0| This is The Athletic\u2019s daily NBA newsletter.\u00a0Sign up here<\/a>\u00a0to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

The Hornets won the Las Vegas Summer League championship this weekend. We\u2019re going to celebrate this by taking Friday off from the newsletter. Or maybe it\u2019s just a company-wide day off. Either way, we\u2019ll be back in action a week from today with some fun stuff!<\/p>\n

Rough Trades<\/p>\n

About two historically bad deals<\/p>\n

Back in the 2023 offseason, the Suns and Bucks both went for it. The Suns traded for Bradley Beal in June of that summer, attempting to form a big three with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. The Bucks acquired Damian Lillard that September, looking to take control of the East as they raced the Celtics for the conference crown.<\/p>\n

Two years later, Beal and Lillard have both been waived by those respective teams,\u00a0with Lillard\u2019s cap number\u00a0officially being stretched over the next five years\u00a0even as he plays elsewhere. And those trades can\u2019t be looked at as anything but abject failures for both Phoenix and Milwaukee. Albeit, they\u2019re failures for very different reasons. The question is whether or not these ended up being two of the worst trades in NBA history.<\/p>\n

Context and timing is everything.\u00a0Remember the first year of Rudy Gobert on the Timberwolves had people saying the Wolves had committed the worst trade in league history. In the two years since, the Wolves have made the conference finals, so nobody seems to call that deal a disaster anymore. The Suns and Bucks didn\u2019t get that revival of hope from their respective deals.<\/p>\n

First, let\u2019s take a look at the Suns\u2019 trade for Beal:<\/p>\n

The Suns sent out:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chris Paul
\nLandry Shamet
\n2024 pick swap (not exercised)
\n2024 second-rounder (Melvin Ajin\u00e7a, 51st)
\n2025 second-rounder (Micah Peavy, 40th)
\n2026 pick swap
\n2028 pick swap (lesser of Nets and Suns pick)
\n2030 pick swap
\nSecond-rounders in 2026, 2027, 2028, 2030
\n$3.5 million in cash<\/p>\n

(As part of the Beal acquisition, the Suns did also receive Jordan Goodwin and Isaiah Todd. Goodwin was involved in the trade package to acquire Royce O\u2019Neale. They traded Todd with pick swaps to Memphis for three second-round picks. One of those seconds was used in a salary dump of Cameron Payne to San Antonio.)<\/p>\n

As you can see, the Suns still owe three pick swaps and four second-round picks, and Beal isn\u2019t even on the team anymore.\u00a0He\u2019s now signed to the LA Clippers<\/a>, a division opponent (scroll down for more about that). Beal went from averaging 25.5 on 47.3\/36.3\/83.4 shooting splits in his seven seasons prior to joining Phoenix to just 17.6 points with the Suns. To his credit, he was hyper efficient as the second or third option (depending on team injuries) with 50.5\/40.7\/80.8 shooting splits. However, Beal missed 29 games in each of his two seasons on the Suns.<\/p>\n

The Suns got nothing out of the experience<\/a>, could still have pick swaps hurt them through 2030 (especially with Durant also now gone<\/a>) and maintain a $19.3 million dead cap on their books for the next five years, due to presumably stretching his contract. That\u2019s abysmal.<\/p>\n

As for the Bucks getting Lillard two years ago, this is what they gave up:<\/p>\n

The Bucks sent out:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jrue Holiday
\nGrayson Allen
\n2028 pick swap
\n2029 first-round pick
\n2030 pick swap<\/p>\n

This was a three-team deal that involved the Suns. The Blazers flipped Holiday to Boston within the week, which both undercut what Milwaukee had just done and gave the Blazers an even bigger return in these two trades.<\/p>\n

Including the Holiday flip, the Blazers also received:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Deandre Ayton
\nToumani Camara
\nRobert Williams III
\nMalcolm Brogdon (moved to Washington with picks for Deni Avdija)
\n2024 first-rounder (moved with Brogdon)
\n2029 first-rounder<\/p>\n

Granted, the Blazers eventually reacquired Holiday this summer and\u00a0had to give up Anfernee Simons to do so<\/a>. And they recently waived Ayton to get rid of him after two seasons. However, Camara has been a revelation for them on defense, making All-Defensive Second Team in his second season after being a second-round pick in 2023.<\/p>\n

To add insult to injury, though,\u00a0Lillard ended up back in Portland<\/a>, signing a three-year, $45 million deal this past week, after he tore his Achilles\u2019 tendon in the playoffs. Lillard likely won\u2019t play next season, and there\u2019s no guarantee he\u2019ll be close to his old ability when he is back at 36 years old. The Bucks got only two first-round exits out of that trade, and they have $22.5 million of dead cap from stretching his contract each year for the next five seasons.\u00a0Yes \u2026 five!<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t know what that draft capital owed to Portland will end up being. But we know the Bucks ended up with nothing but dead cap space to show for that deal. Milwaukee and Phoenix probably didn\u2019t make the worst trades ever, but they\u2019re in the conversation due to minimal return and the dead cap space that sits for the next half decade.<\/p>\n

The Last 24<\/p>\n

Does the league even want more teams?<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfc0\u00a0Expansion coming?\u00a0John Hollinger talked to people in Vegas.\u00a0Why isn\u2019t there urgency to expand<\/a>?<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfc0 Good sign?\u00a0Luka Don\u010di\u0107 has a contract extension decision coming.\u00a0He\u2019s also been recruiting for the Lakers<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcb0 Pro colleges?\u00a0The NIL money has turned college basketball into a professional venture.\u00a0Is this a problem for the NBA<\/a>?<\/p>\n

\u2753\u00a0Any questions?\u00a0Here are 10 WNBA questions not involving Caitlin Clark for the rest of the season.\u00a0Are the Aces cooked<\/a>?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfc0 Pelican injured.\u00a0Rookie Derik Queen needed to have wrist surgery for New Orleans.\u00a0He\u2019s out at least three months<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfa7 Tuning in.\u00a0Today\u2019s \u201cNBA Daily\u201d\u00a0ranks the contract buyouts<\/a>\u00a0for Lillard, Beal and Marcus Smart.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>The Basketball 100<\/a><\/p>\n

The story of the greatest players in NBA history. In 100 riveting profiles, top basketball writers justify their selections and uncover the history of the NBA in the process.<\/p>\n

The story of the greatest players in NBA history.<\/p>\n

Buy\"Buy<\/a>Summer Plans<\/p>\n

Clippers\u2019 new pieces answer leftover questions<\/p>\n

The Clippers had a busy offseason, and we\u00a0think\u00a0it\u2019s probably done. They signed Brook Lopez to be the backup to Ivica Zubac.\u00a0They traded Norman Powell to bring in John Collins from Utah<\/a>. We assume they\u2019ll re-sign Amir Coffey to add to the depth of their wings. And they\u2019ve signed both Bradley Beal and Chris Paul in the past week. The Clippers seemingly have a better and even deeper team than what we saw last season. Their backcourt alone has Beal, CP3, James Harden, Bogdan Bogdanovi\u0107 and Kris Dunn.<\/p>\n

Paul was the biggest remaining name on the free-agent list, and he\u2019ll spend his 21st (and reportedly last<\/a>) season back on the Clippers. He\u2019ll most likely be coming off the bench, but this Clippers depth still is reliant on Kawhi Leonard being healthy for a deep playoff run. With these two signings, there are only a few big names and questions left, so let\u2019s try to figure out what\u2019s left.<\/p>\n

Where is Russell Westbrook going to sign?\u00a0This is a big mystery.<\/p>\n

If he\u2019s looking to actually play, trying to find his way to the Bucks, who lack a point guard, would make sense. Or he could try to add depth to someone like the Rockets?<\/p>\n

Marcus Smart is a Laker?\u00a0It looks like the former Celtics guard is working out a buyout with Washington, and\u00a0is expected to sign with the Lakers<\/a>\u00a0after he clears waivers. He needs to be healthy but adds needed perimeter defense.<\/p>\n

Where is Al Horford going?\u00a0It\u2019s been reported and assumed the 39-year-old Horford will be a Warrior once the dust settles. They might need to figure out their restricted free agency situation first.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s going to happen with the restricted free agents left? Jonathan Kuminga (Golden State), Josh Giddey (Chicago), Cam Thomas (Brooklyn) and Quentin Grimes (Philadelphia) are all wondering the same thing. Each player is expected to return to their team, except Kuminga seems to be looking for his way off the Warriors while getting a big payday. Without teams possessing salary cap room to spend, these talks should continue to be drawn out.<\/p>\n

Pay What You Owe Them<\/p>\n

WNBA players speaking up<\/p>\n

Prior to the WNBA All-Star Game, the players came out with a massive statement on their t-shirts. The message on the black shirts in white lettering simply said, \u201cPay us what you owe us.<\/a>\u201d The WNBA players\u2019 union is currently negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement with the league, and it\u2019s actually quite shocking what a horrendous deal WNBA players currently have.<\/p>\n

One of the common misconceptions that comes up when WNBA players talk about getting paid is that people believe the WNBA\u2019s stars are looking to get annual salaries in the $40 million-to-$60 million range like the NBA\u2019s. The actual task is to get a similar percentage of the basketball-related income. NBA players receive between 49-51 percent of the BRI from the league\u2019s income (media contracts, merchandise sales, etc.).\u00a0WNBA players earn 25 percent of the WNBA\u2019s BRI,\u00a0according to the CBA<\/a>,\u00a0but it might actually be closer to 9.3 percent,\u00a0according to Media Watch<\/a>,\u00a0when you factor in total league revenue.<\/p>\n

The league has been thriving in recent years, and has seen an explosion in growth with Caitlin Clark\u2019s entrance into the league last season.\u00a0Expansion teams cost $250 million, and the league just recently announced the addition of three new franchises in the coming years. While there is plenty of discussion around the league losing money (and granted, some of this is murky considering the business being intertwined with the NBA to some extent), the WNBA is seeing growth that demands it pays its players far more than what they\u2019re currently getting.<\/p>\n

Bizarrely, there are still people on the internet and outspoken in media landscapes mocking the idea of WNBA players demanding more money. Siding with management and ownership over labor for a product you either a) care about or b) don\u2019t care about is absolute nonsense,\u00a0as Sara Civian wrote on Substack<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t feel like going over all the ways men jumped on the opportunity to Be Wrong In An Acceptable Way when it came to the WNBA players simply wearing shirts that were speaking to their upcoming CBA expiration on Oct. 31. The WNBA players, as they stated for all to hear, were asking for more of a revenue share than they currently have, and of course they deserve it. I shouldn\u2019t have to sit there and explain to someone who works for ESPN, or The Athletic, \u2014 or to anyone willing to enter the public sphere with an opinion \u2014 that the WNBA players aren\u2019t asking for more than NBA players. They are members of the players association speaking to the WNBA about the undeniable growth the past year has seen, and how players and their brands, shoes, commercials, names, and likeness have absolutely been a gigantic impetus.\u201d<\/p>\n

Viewership, ticket sales and merchandise are skyrocketing in the league.\u00a0Clark makes roughly $76,000 from her salary. The highest salary is $241,000 and change. The next CBA should absolutely start cutting the players a bigger check and a bigger piece of that BRI pie.<\/p>\n

Back in 1964, the NBA All-Stars threatened to not play the All-Star Game, which was going to be the first nationally televised one, if the league didn\u2019t recognize the players union. This past weekend, the WNBA All-Stars decided to put more pressure on commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the league during these labor negotiations. If you\u2019re not for the players getting what they\u2019re owed, I can only assume you don\u2019t believe you deserve a raise at your job either. You should believe in yourself more.<\/p>\n

Streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.<\/p>\n

( Photo: Michael McLoone \/ USA Today Network via Imagn Images )<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Bounce Newsletter\u00a0\u00a0| This is The Athletic\u2019s daily NBA newsletter.\u00a0Sign up here\u00a0to receive The Bounce directly in your…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31331,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[355,99],"class_list":["post-31330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31330"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31330\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}