National Basketball Association

Bradley Beal trade to Suns causes big shift in 2023 NBA title odds

Updated Jun. 19, 2023 1:14 p.m. ET

Is three-time All-Star guard Bradley Beal the missing piece for the Phoenix Suns?

Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and friends certainly hope so.

News broke Sunday that the Suns are finalizing a trade with the Washington Wizards to acquire Beal for 12-time All-Star guard Chris Paul, shooting guard Landry Shamet, multiple second-round picks and a swap of draft picks.

The acquisition of Beal has already impacted the Suns' futures odds for the 2023-24 championship. With the deal expected to be finalized in the coming days, let's dive into the shift in lines.

Phoenix's title odds moved significantly from +900 to +575 at Caesars Sportsbook after news broke of the deal.

The Suns are now the second favorites to come out of the Western Conference, just behind the Denver Nuggets (+450 to win the title).

On the flip side, the Wizards' championship odds lengthened from +24000 to +30000 (bet $10 to win $3,010 total), last in the league.

Phoenix lost in the Western Conference semifinals to the eventual champion Nuggets in six games last month. Does Beal put them over the top?

FOX Sports Betting Analyst Jason McIntyre said the Beal-for-Paul swap affects the power structure of the NBA.

"So the team that pushed Denver harder than anyone in the playoffs … adds an All-NBA guard? … Suns stay healthy, they win the (title)," McIntyre tweeted.

Conversely, some executives don't see the trade paying off for Phoenix. This sentiment could be reflected in the odds and why the Suns aren't favored to win it all, even after acquiring such a big piece.

"I don’t see how [Devin] Booker and Beal really fit," said an Eastern Conference GM. "Neither one is a point guard. They will have three guys who can really score, but I don’t see them being able to grind out 16 wins to a title."

Beal, the No. 3 pick out of Florida in 2012, averaged 22.1 points, 4.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game in his 11 seasons, all with Washington.

Paul, the No. 4 pick in 2005 out of Wake Forest, averaged 17.9 points, 9.5 assists and 2.1 steals during his 18-year career with New Orleans, the LA Clippers, Houston, Oklahoma City and Phoenix.

Even after acquiring Beal, health and depth could be an issue for the Suns. Over the previous two seasons, Beal, Durant and Booker have missed 179 of a possible 492 regular season games.

On a side note, the Bartelstein family played a huge role in the blockbuster trade. Mark Bartelstein is Beal's agent, and his son Josh is CEO of the Suns.

Will the Suns' title lines shift more in the coming days? Stay tuned to FOX Sports for all the championship odds updates.

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