When it comes to the NBA's most lopsided trades of the past two decades, Kevin Garnett being acquired by the Boston Celtics (2007) and Paul Gasol (2008) being shipped to the Los Angeles Lakers should be at the forefront of the discussion. Although both trades led to championship titles being won, you can't analyze either transaction without underlying the fact that the first deal was orchestrated by Celtics legend-turned-general manager (for the Minnesota Timberwolves) Kevin McHale and the second was arranged by Lakers legend-turned-general manager (for the Memphis Grizzlies) Jerry West. Fast forward to Father's Day 2023, where another blockbuster trade to a championship contender has sparked fan-fueled conspiracies all over the internet because of the business personnel involved. Shortly after Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news of a players swap involving Chris Paul (37) of the Phoenix Suns and the Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal (29), pundits started to speculate about an interesting father-son connection between the two franchises. That's because Bradley Beal's agent, Mark Bartlestein, is the father of the Phoenix Sun's CEO Josh Bartelstein. This has prompted fans to call for Adam Silver, the commissioner of the NBA, to veto what appears to be an uneven trade on paper because Bradley Beal, a three-time All-Star in his prime, was viewed as one of the most coveted players of the off-season while Chris Paul, a future NBA Hall of Famer, is in the twilight of his career and he was reportedly on the verge of being released anyways.
If Adam Silver were to veto this deal, it would be the second time that the league has canceled a big trade involving Chris Paul. Back in 2011, former NBA commissioner David Stern famously vetoed a deal that would have sent Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers and paired him with the late Kobe Bryant while both men were at the apex of their playing careers.
Source: Sportskeeda
Following the Bradley Beal for Chris Paul trade, oddsmakers in Las Vegas improved the Phoenix Suns' chances of hoisting the franchise's first NBA championship after the 2023-24 NBA post-season. Nevertheless, the Denver Nuggets and the Boston Celtics remain the favorites to meet in next year's NBA Finals.
