1. Suns acquire Bradley Beal
You can argue about fit or how this team will operate on the defensive end or even their struggles when it comes to a capable supporting cast and depth, but you can’t say that Bradley Beal, at least thus far, hasn’t been the biggest and most impactful move of the offseason thus far. The Phoenix Suns are better today than they were when the season ended because of Beal. If he can remain healthy, it’s going to be almost impossible to defend this quartet of players that the Suns will feature.
In what was considered a “down” season for Beal, he averaged 23 points, five assists, and four rebounds on 51 percent shooting from the field and 37 percent shooting from 3-point range. It’s not likely that he’s going to be able to post that amount of production next to Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Deandre Ayton, but his presence on the floor is going to open up a lot more for his teammates. Or maybe KD, Booker, and Ayton will open up everything for Beal.
Either way, this is a deadly and hugely impactful addition that the Suns made to start the offseason. You have to give the Denver Nuggets respect for what they did this past season, but the Suns will almost certainly be the favorites heading into the start of the 2023-24 NBA season. And the addition of Beal is a big reason why.