The trade rumors of Bradley Beal’s departure are swirling around like a haboob over The Valley, but that hasn’t stopped the veteran shooting guard from putting his best foot forward when he steps on the court for the Phoenix Suns.
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In his first game after being taken out of the Suns’ starting lineup Sunday, Beal scored 25 points off the bench in the 109-99 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday.
Moving Beal out of the starting lineup was a clear power play by Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer and the organization to force the veteran’s hand into disgruntlement and bypass his contract’s no-trade clause. The second-year Sun handled it graciously with a team-high in points to give Phoenix its first win in four games.
Brad getting buckets! pic.twitter.com/Vcf9QRCbCA
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) January 7, 2025
His first outing off the bench certainly added value to his trade stock and showed he is a capable starter in the league, but some believe that Beal coming off the bench could be a formula for Phoenix’s success.
The WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon praised Beal for the way he handled the adversity he’s faced while in Phoenix, attempting to find his place in the Suns’ big three alongside Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, on ESPN’s NBA Today Tuesday. Hammon — a former assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs from 2014-2021 — did find the move comparable to the one Spurs head coach and president Greg Popovich made decades ago that gave us one of the greatest sixth men of all time.
“I’m going to go to my favorite bench player Manu Ginobili. There was a point where (Popovich) had to say, ‘I’ve got to move you to the bench because it’s what’s best for our team,” Hammon said. “Manu’s a hall-of-famer… At the end of the day, the success is what matters. And more importantly, when you have some of these individual successes and the team’s success comes along with that, you get a great winning recipe.”
"I'm gonna go to my favorite bench player in Manu Ginobili." ???? @chiney and Becky Hammon on how the Suns benching Bradley Beal could help save their season ✍️ pic.twitter.com/7uMLbb7GLx
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 7, 2025
While the formula may be there, Beal has to be willing to sit and the Suns have to actually want him to do it.
It’s going to be hard to convince someone who averaged more than 23 points per game in his last six out of seven seasons prior to becoming a Sun that he isn’t a key element to any team’s success and deserves to be a focal point. It’s equally challenging as an organization to allow someone to play a backup role for the next two to three seasons and incur more than a $50 million cap hit every year.
“I’m a starter in the league,” Beal said in the postgame press conference following the win over the Sixers. “I firmly believe that. No disrespect to anybody, but I’m a starter.”
Beal may not be trying to disrespect anyone during this rocky period in Phoenix, but since his arrival he has struggled to find his.
It’s hard to compete for the spotlight with The Valley’s crown jewel Devin Booker and the incomparable play of Kevin Durant. Prior to the 2023 blockbuster trade that put Beal’s five-year, $251 million contract in the hands of the Suns, Beal was putting on an all-world, hall-of-fame caliber run for the struggling Washington Wizards. Beal coming off the bench could be a recipe for success, but he doesn’t just believe he’s a balancing ingredient to the Suns: he thinks he can still be the secret sauce.
“They talk about Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. When you’re Bradley Beal, let’s be real — that stings,” Hammon said. “Especially when you’ve had as much success as he’s had as a player… kudos to him for moving to the bench and doing whatever it takes to be a pro.
Many of big threes have fallen, and the idea of a terrific trio seems to fail more often than not. But as the old saying goes: two’s a company, three’s a crowd.
Report: Suns pursuing 3rd team for Bradley Beal to land Jimmy Butler
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Reporter Jordyn Bennett covers the Arizona Cardinals, Arizona State, Phoenix area sports and sports related topics. You can follow him on his X account, @j_bennett_live
