The Phoenix Suns boldly decided to move on from head coach Mike Budenholzer at the end of his first season in charge of the franchise. It’s been a doomed season from the start for Budenholzer, as the Suns finished 36-46 and couldn’t even qualify for the NBA Play-In Tournament.
One of the biggest failures of Budenholzer’s time in Phoenix was his relationship with Bradley Beal.
Chris Haynes has revealed that Budenholzer asked Beal to emulate Boston Celtics star Jrue Holiday’s playstyle, something which didn’t sit well with the Suns star.
“One thing I can point to is his communication and how he conveyed his message.”
“League sources told me that earlier this season, coach Budenholzer met with Bradley Beal. He wanted him to be the Jrue Holiday of this team.”
“When you’re talking to a guy of Bradley Beal’s caliber, it wasn’t well-received. It’s not the type of player he is; you know he’s made a name for himself by playing his way. So, asking him to shift and alter his game and on top of that, say Jrue Holiday, somebody who coach Budenholzer won a championship with in Milwaulkee, it wasn’t well-received.”
On the Haynes Briefs Show, inside the Phoenix Suns’ turmoil and incidents that led to Mike Budenholzer losing the team and ultimately his job. Also a list of coaching candidates Suns are expected to look at. Subscribe. #haynesbriefs
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— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) April 14, 2025
That must’ve hurt for Beal to hear. Holiday is a Hall of Famer and arguably ranks as a better player all-time than Beal for most fans. While his counting stats aren’t as impressive, Holiday was the starting point guard on two title-winning teams over the last four years.
He’s also considered one of the greatest guard defenders of all time and a proven winning player. Unfortunately, none of the same can be said about Beal.
Beal averaged 17.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists this season, much better than Holiday’s 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. However, Jrue’s impact on the Celtics’ defense and the Milwaukee Bucks‘ defense with Budenholzer in 2021 was legitimately title-winning for both franchises.
Outside of his season stats over his career and the one year he almost won the NBA scoring title, there isn’t much winning to praise over Beal’s career.
Beal’s contribution to player empowerment in the NBA with a no-trade clause in his contract is arguably his most tangible impact in the league right now, while Holiday continues to be the starting point guard for the defending champions who picked up 61 wins this season.
Even if Beal wanted to, he couldn’t emulate Holiday’s skill as a low-maintenance defensive guard because Holiday is naturally one of the greatest to perform that tole in that position. If Beal did try and replicate that style, it’d be an even worse season for the Suns. The 31-year-old is a scorer, but he’ll never be the featured scorer on a Playoff team, especially when his teammates are Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.
Budenholzer wasn’t the right coach for the Suns and their egos. He wasn’t right to ask Beal to emulate Holiday either, but not because he offended the second-highest-paid player on the roster but because it was silly to expect a scorer like Beal to ever execute that role successfully.
The Suns will now be forced to trade Kevin Durant away to keep some hopes for success in the future. Beal wants to stay in Phoenix, but he is a dead asset that’s impossible to trade even though the fans want him gone.
