It has been a disastrous run for the Suns this season and the future has never been more uncertain. For veteran guard Bradley Beal, the transition to Phoenix has not been easy, but he finds security in the few areas that he does have control over, like his active no-trade clause.
“I enjoy the game, man. This game is fun. I try not to let anybody 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,” said Beal, via ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. 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.”
Beal, 31, spent 11 seasons with the Wizards, where he established himself as a star with averages of 22.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game on 46.0% shooting. After over a decade of failed playoff runs, the Wizards opted to trade Beal and he agreed to waive his no-trade clause to join the Suns.
What Beal didn’t agree on was everything that’s come after. In the 2024-25 campaign, with 32.7 minutes per game, Beal is at his lowest average playtime since the 2015-16 season, when he was 22 years old. He was also removed from the starting lineup for a stretch, and relegated to the bench in favor of Tyus Jones. It was only temporary, but only fed the rumors that Phoenix was trying to set him off on purpose. In the eyes of Beal, the whole experience has been borderline disrespectful.
“I’m human, so I have to really take a step back and just kind of look at the big picture,” Beal told ESPN. “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.”
Bradley Beal came to the Suns hoping to compete for a championship, but now it seems they are closer to being a lottery team than anything else. Despite being nearly fully healthy, the Suns can’t make up ground for the 10th seed in the West and there is virtually no hope of making any kind of playoff run.
To make matters worse, the Suns gave up all of their tradable assets to build this current team, which means they can’t make significant roster changes without involving Kevin Durant or Devin Booker. While Durant may be on the table this summer, the Suns are not giving up Booker and they will do whatever it takes to get him back to the NBA Finals.
As the odd man out in Phoenix, Beal is in a weird spot right now. On one hand, the Suns can’t trade him without his approval and it means that he has until the end of his contract (2026-27) to try and make it work. On the other hand, he’s set to spend the rest of his prime on a dysfunctional team that desperately needs a reset.
Right now, that no-trade clause may be the only thing keeping Beal in Phoenix but it’s also the one thing that is keeping the Suns tied down to their current dysfunctional core.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We appreciate your support.
