In the midst of recovering from his own injury and his Phoenix Suns struggling to stay whole and losing games in the process, Bradley Beal has been the focal point of the Jimmy Butler-Suns trade saga.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!How’s he dealing with it?
“The same thing (as the last time),” Beal said. “Until one of them come and say something to me and talk to me, it’s just out there. I’m a Phoenix Sun, I’m here and I’m in uniform. I don’t pay attention to that. They did that with me for 10 years.”
The 13-year veteran has missed 10 games this season and is averaging 17.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.
Suns star guard Bradley Beal has a no-trade clause in his contract. #Suns https://t.co/lCoej7VXMt pic.twitter.com/08pZaigAiT
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) December 20, 2024
Similar to last season, the Suns’ Big Three of Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker were never able to gain momentum as a trio due to injuries. Beal played in only 53 games last season, Durant played in 75 and Booker played in 68.
So far this season, out of 26 games played, Beal and Durant have missed 10 apiece and Booker hasn’t missed one but left their last game, a 120-111 loss to the Indiana Pacers, with groin tightness. The Suns have yet to provide any updates on Booker.
From what has been reported, Beal and the Suns have time to really see if a trade is even needed. It was reported Friday morning that Phoenix is going to “wait until mid-January” to make any decisions on whether or not they will pursue Butler or other trades to bolster the roster.
For what it’s worth, the Suns haven’t necessarily been bad when the trio is healthy. They are 8-3 in games they’ve played together this season. The fit has never been the problem; the health has been.
Will trading Beal for Butler change their injury luck? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Report: Suns to wait for decisions on Jimmy Butler, other trades
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Reporter Connor Moreno covers the Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @cmorenosports, and on Bluesky, @cloading.bsky.social
