Phoenix Suns landing Bradley Beal in blockbuster deal involving Chris Paul, Landry Shamet

The Phoenix Suns are landing All-Star guard Bradley Beal in a blockbuster trade involving Chris Paul and Landry Shamet, sources informed The Republic on Sunday afternoon.

The framework of the deal has the Suns trading Paul, Shamet, several second round picks and a pick swap to the Washington Wizards for Beal, who had a no-trade clause, meaning he could approve and veto trades.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the deal could take days to complete as the Wizards look for a third team to give Paul an opportunity to land with a contender. Without a third team, the Wizards could buy out Paul's contract, opening the door for the 12-time All-Star to become a free agent, ESPN reported.

Paul told The Republic on Thursday he wanted to stay in Phoenix as the Suns were exploring options with the veteran point guard that included waiving him or trading him. He's in the third year of a four-year, $120-million deal with the third year being partially guaranteed.

Bradley Beal trade grades: NBA title or bust for Phoenix Suns with Washington Wizards deal

The 38-year-old had $15 million of $30.8 million set to kick in June 28. Paul's final year was non-guaranteed.

This is the second major trade the Suns have made under new team owner Mat Ishbia. Phoenix dealt Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four first round picks and a pick swap to Brooklyn for Kevin Durant and T.J. Warren.

After falling to the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals, the Suns are now trading Paul, the catalyst for their run to the 2021 NBA finals, and Shamet, to the Wizards for Beal, who is averaging 22.1 points for his career and posted a career-best 31.3 points a game for the 2020-21 season.

The Suns now have three prolific scorers in Devin Booker. Durant and Beal to make them one of the favorites to win their first-ever championship this upcoming season, but currently have four max contracts on the books with those three and center Deandre Ayton.

Durant, Booker, Beal and Ayton are due more than $161 million dollars this upcoming 2023-24 season with the expected salary cap at $134 million and the luxury tax threshold at $165 million.

Teams that go $17.5 million over the second tax apron can't use taxpayer mid-level exceptions, can't sign buyout players and take back more money in trades.

More: Bradley Beal trade gives Phoenix Suns the superteam that Devin Booker predicted in 2018

With Beal incoming and Ayton on the roster with Booker and Durant, the Suns will have very limited roster flexibility to build a team, a challenge Suns team president and general manager James Jones faces for years to come.

Beal is entering the second year of a five-year, $251-million contract as he's due $46.7 million this season while Durant is entering the second year of a four-year, $194-million deal as he's due $46.4 million this season.

Booker is in the final year of his rookie extension of five years, $158 million. He's due $36 million this season and his supermax extension of four years, $224 million starts next season.

More: Chris Paul talks Phoenix Suns, new book, 'Sixty-One: Life Lessons from Papa, On and Off The Court,' more

Ayton is on a four-year, $133-million contract as he's due $32.4 million in the second year of the deal.

There is also pressure on new head coach Frank Vogel to make this work as Ishbia has set the championship-or-bust bar even higher with these two trades.

The 43-year-old billionaire mortgage lender bought the Suns and WNBA's Phoenix Mercury for $4 billion.

Vogel signed a five-year, $31-million deal to replace Monty Williams, who Detroit hired on a six-year, $78.5-million deal, making him the highest paid coach in NBA history. Vogel coached the Lakers to the 2019-20 NBA championship, but lost in the first round the next year to the Suns and went 33-49 in his third and what proved to be his final season as he was fired.

The 49-year-old Vogel didn't coach last season. He's building a coaching staff starting with the retainment of Kevin Young, who was the associate head coach under Williams.

Commentary: Bradley Beal is a great player, but he doesn't fit in Phoenix

Vogel has also added former NBA head coach David Fizdale, Miles Simon and John Lucas III, sources have informed The Republic as all three were on his staff with the Lakers.

Young will be paid more than $2 million a year, making him the highest-paid assistant in the NBA. He was a finalist for the Suns vacancy and the player development coach for Booker, who gives him a great deal of credit for his improvement as a player.

With Vogel being defensive driven, as three of his teams have ranked first in the NBA in defensive rating, Young will likely be called upon to lead the offensive strategy even though Vogel said during his introductory press conference he hadn't assigned his assistants their roles.

If granted that offensive duty, Young will have three of the league's best offensive players in Booker, Durant and Beal. The loss of Paul now will open the question of who will start at point guard, but Booker's improved playmaking ability can lead to open looks for Durant and Beal.

Durant also is a playmaker, Beal is averaging just 4.3 assists for his career. However, Beal and Durant are both excellent at catch-and-shoot opportunities.

With ball movement, they should get those looks as well as have the option to create off the bounce.

If the Suns choose to keep Ayton, who reportedly has been on the trade market, that gives them an interior scoring option who can play off Booker, Durant and Beal.

Paul was huge part of Phoenix's run to the 2021 finals after coming over in a trade from Oklahoma City. The Suns followed that up with having their best record in franchise history at 64-18 with Paul as the starting point guard, earned the No. 1 overall seed in the 2022 playoffs, but lost Game 7 to the Dallas Mavericks by 33 points at home.

Paul missed 21 games due to injuries this past 2022-23 season as he averaged a career-low 13.9 points playing off the ball more than he ever has in his career. Injury prone, Paul was sidelined the final four games of the West semifinals against the No. 1-seeded Nuggets after suffering a groin injury in the second half of Game 2.

Shamet joined the Suns in a trade with Brooklyn going into the 2021-22 season. Averaging 8.4 points in two seasons in Phoenix, the shooting guard is in the second year of a four-year, $42-million rookie extension.

He's played for four NBA teams since entering the league as a first-round pick in the 2018 draft.

Reaction: Suns fans, social media react to Chris Paul in trade package for Wizards star Bradley Beal

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.

Support local journalism. Start your online subscription.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns landing Bradley Beal in blockbuster deal involving Chris Paul