Suns' Durant trade just handed Mavericks the perfect Kyrie Irving replacement

The Dallas Mavericks are officially selecting Cooper Flagg No. 1 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft today, but the Mavericks' primary need this offseason is still to find a playmaker/shot creator capable of filling the void Kyrie Irving will leave behind as he rehabs a torn ACL for more than half of next season in all likelihood.

Many trades have already happened across the league, such as the Kevin Durant trade that sent him from the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets, and some of Dallas' rumored trade targets to fill this void have already been taken off the board, but it's not so late that there aren't plenty of other names emerging as new candidates as the league is on the precipice of the the draft and free agency.

One name that may be an option for the Mavericks and would be also be a shot creator that could play alongside Irving when he gets back is Bradley Beal from the Suns, as it was recently reported by longtime Phoenix radio talkshow host John Gambadoro that Beal is likely to be bought out or traded by the Suns this summer after they traded Durant earlier this week.

Mavericks should pounce on Bradley Beal if he's bought out by Suns

Now, trading for Beal would present a very difficult route for the Mavericks, as Beal would have to first waive his no-trade clause and then the Mavericks would have to nearly match the $53 million he's owed next season in outgoing salaries to the Suns, and the Mavericks would probably be giving up too much for Beal in that scenario anyways. Crazier things have happened, but it's highly unlikely the Mavericks would trade for Beal, as their most plausible way to get him would be via the buyout market.

The problem with that is, the Suns owe Beal $110 million through the next two seasons, so Matt Ishbia and their front office would be taking a massive hit if they bought out Beal, and their preference would certainly be to at least gauge the trade market for Beal if he agrees to waive his no-trade clause. If Phoenix somehow agreed to buyout Beal, though, he certainly probably wouldn't be too picky about his next contract, and the Mavericks could sign him using a veteran's minimum slot, or their Taxpayer's MLE after Irving's team-friendly deal from last night helped open that slot up.

While the Mavericks would definitely need to find a way to bring back Dante Exum or sign another cheap point-of-attack defending guard if Beal was their only other shot creator they brought in this offseason, Beal would be near the top of the list in terms of feasible trade or free agent targets that can replicate maybe 75 percent of Irving's production on the offensive end.

Beal turns 32 years old in a few days, but he's got a far worse reputation in Phoenix compared to how he's actually played. Beal was an All-NBA level player just a few seasons ago, and because of Phoenix having too many mouths to feed offensively and an insufferable defense, Beal is being looked at as old and washed when that's been far from the case when he's on the floor.

Beal has been very injury-riddled the past few seasons, which is a fair knock, but in 53 games last season, he averaged 17 points, 3.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game with shooting splits of 49.7/38.6/80.3. If Beal's healthy, that production could certainly increase in more of a complementary role playing alongside Brandon Williams and eventually Irving, as Beal was still very efficient last season, but didn't get the same opportunities to create like he did in Washington when he mostly only played alongside one offensive initiator whereas he often played with two in Phoenix.

Beal still has a quick first step and is a mid-range maestro, and he could make the Mavericks scary once Irving returns from injury, so long as Max Christie and Exum (or someone else) can hold down Dallas' point-of-attack defense, as Dallas' is already destined to have one of the best frontlines defensively in the entire league after they officially add Flagg tonight.