Suns' Bradley Beal disaster is a blessing for the Rockets

The Houston Rockets may have acquired Kevin Durant this summer, but they still hold some of the Suns' future first-round picks. Those picks got a bit sweeter after Bradley Beal's buyout.

It's become a mantra at SpaceCityScoop: Whatever is bad for the Suns is good for the Rockets. Lately, it feels like a lot is going wrong for the Suns. Their last few seasons have been a comedy of errors.

The Suns can't rebuild without their picks. So, they'll want to stay competitive.

Having Beal's dead money on the books through 2030 won't help that cause.

Suns' financial woes benefit Rockets

Yet, that's how long they'll carry it. Beal will hit the Suns' cap for $19.4 million a season through 2030.

This puts the Suns in a strange place. They can't rebuild without their picks, but putting together a competitive squad will be difficult with scarce cap space.

Devin Booker's extension doesn't help matters. He's making roughly $57 million a year - until his 2-year, $145 million extension kicks in for the 2028-29 season. That's an overpay for Booker in a vacuum. It's particularly egregious in light of Beal's dead money. In the 2028-29 season, the Suns will have roughly $88 million tied up in off guards - one of whom will be off the roster, and the other of whom is a sub All-NBA player.

That is terrifying. This is a Rockets site, but the Suns' depressingly bleak future is essential to Houston. As of now, it looks like they'll be receiving a lottery pick from them in 2027, and even 2029 is looking good:

Isn't it?

Rockets need Suns prospects to bust

It depends.

Most Rockets fans abandoned faith in Jalen Green. That's the Suns' problem now. It's fair to say that Green has untapped potential, but he's not on a trajectory that's likely to help the Suns send the Rockets suboptimal picks.

Khaman Maluach is talented, but he's looked raw in summer league play. As of now, he's a foul machine who only spaces the floor in theory. He's got ample potential, but it's likely to take him a few years to fulfill it.

Ryan Dunn is a great defender, but he's more of a ceiling raiser. He's a dynamic defensive wing, but he's a role player. Rasheer Flemming is likely cut from the same cloth. None of these guys is going to carry the Suns to wins any time soon.

That said, 2029 is a ways away. If Maluach hits, the Suns could be outside of the lottery by then:

Although, Beal's dead money will somehow still be on the books.