The Los Angeles Lakers suffered after making the decision to trade for Russell Westbrook and form a trio with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Lakers, who have managed to recover, can only laugh at the Phoenix Suns replicating that disaster and making it so much worse.
Both the Lakers and the Suns were victims after picking up the phone and agreeing to a trade with the Washington Wizards to land one of their stars. The ramifications of Phoenix adding Bradley Beal beside Kevin Durant and Devin Booker have been nothing short of a hot mess.
BREAKING: The Phoenix Suns are trading two-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft and five second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/EwrbA2ES9O
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 22, 2025
The Suns were forced to pay the price by getting rid of Durant this summer, trading him away to the Houston Rockets for a lackluster return package. The Rockets got to reap the rewards of the Suns' decision to bet on Beal. Phoenix is spiraling in a way the Lakers were glad to avoid.
Bradley Beal disaster makes Russell Westbrook look like an inconvenience
The goal today will not be bashing Westbrook. It never is. However, Lakers fans need no reminding of how poor the fit was between the three stars that were supposed to guide them to winning.
When the Lakers finally decided to give up on the experiment, it certainly cost them. They lost draft capital and the replacement of D'Angelo Russell was far from perfect either. However, they managed to pivot into a Western Conference Finals appearance.
Furthermore, they retained enough flexibility to completely change the trajectory of their franchise. They did that, of course, with the blockbuster trade that landed them Luka Doncic.
The Suns surrendered a lot of assets to bring Durant to Phoenix. That move was fine. However, gambling on the three-star build with Beal was an uncontrollable disaster. Unlike the Westbrook problem, the Suns could not simply cut their losses.
Beal's no-trade clause and max contract gave him all the control over his own future. His poor performances made him as close to unmovable as a player can get. That is why the former three-time All-Star is still in Phoenix and Durant had to be the casualty in a much-needed makeover.
The further problem is the makeover is an ugly one. Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the number 10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and five future second-round picks will not help properly reset or retool the franchise in Phoenix.
This horrible experiment is one that could set the Suns back for close to a decade. The Lakers, meanwhile, are positioning themselves to compete for a championship. Those are two fates, stemming from a very similar situation, that could not look more different.