[octothorp]

It's hard to see a way forward with this core for Phoenix. The new CBA rules mean that as a second apron team: no MLE contracts; can't take back more salary than they send out in a trade; no aggregating contracts in a trade. Basically, they're stuck with signing draft picks and minimum contracts.

As far as trades they could make, that Beal contract is untradeable without attaching compensation, which Phoenix has very little of. (Plus the league's only *official* no-trade clause).

Durant would probably be happy to be moved (to his choice of team), but that doesn't save them from the awful redundency of Beal and Booker. Trading out Nurkic seems like an option, if they can get multiple rotational players back (while accounting for less money than Nurk).

I wonder if they'd consider trading Booker. Like if they could get a few FRPs and multiple useful rotational players, that might give them a shot to build a team around Durant, Beal, Nurkic, and Allen.