PHOENIX — In a new report detailing the future of the Phoenix Suns through the lens of owner Mat Ishbia, Bradley Beal spoke with ESPN NBA Insider Tim MacMahon candidly about how he fits into the future of the franchise, whether it be on or off the team.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The story detailed Phoenix’s upright disappointing season where it is six games under .500 (30-36) and 2½ games behind the Dallas Mavericks for the 10th seed and final West play-in spot with 16 games remaining.
Beal was the main subject of the Suns’ trade discussions ahead of this seasons’ trade deadline despite holding onto his one-of-two no-trade clauses in the league (LeBron James has the other). He admitted that, between basically not being wanted by his own team and later being relegated to a bench role in January, he felt “disrespected at times by the Suns this season,” MacMahon wrote.
“I’m human, so I have to really take a step back and just kind of look at the big picture,” Beal said. “And my biggest thing is when I came here I want to win. I’ve scored 30 points a game. I’ve been an All-Star. I’ve been All-NBA. I want to win. That’s always been my label — I haven’t won anything. So whatever that looks like for the team, whether that’s me coming up the bench, whether it’s me starting, whether it’s me, whatever it is, I’m going to do it. Do I agree with it? Hell, no, but I’m not going to be that guy.”
However, Beal is a guy that likes to put things into perspective. He has always been grateful for where he’s at and what he gets to do for a living. Which also may have been a good excuse to remind the world that he still holds the keys to his future and whatever Phoenix wants to do with him this offseason.
“I enjoy the game, man,” he added. “This game is fun. I try not to let nobody take the joy out of it for me. It’s very hard. It’s hard. We’re all human beings, man. We have every right to shut down. We have every right to question what’s going on. You have every right to say, ‘Why me?’ But I feel like that just drags you down a little bit more than you need. I’m still playing in the NBA, I still have the best job in the world, and I still have my no-trade clause. So I’m smiling every day.”
No matter how Phoenix finishes the season, it is still evident now as it was just a few months ago that Ishbia plans on finding Beal a new home as soon as possible in hopes of salvaging and “retooling” around Devin Booker’s prime years. But that no-trade clause looms ever so largely.
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Reporter Connor Moreno covers the Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @cmorenoNBA, and on Bluesky, @cloading.bsky.social
