This presupposes that the trade for Beal is the original roster construction problem in Phoenix that must be solved -- that under the new collective bargaining agreement, building a team around three max salary players, one of whom is performing far below a max level, is untenable.

Phoenix currently sits 10th in the Western Conference standings with a 21-21 record. This is not what they expected after starting the season 8-1 and having one of the NBA’s highest payrolls, mainly due to their superstar trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.