Bradley Beal‘s future is the subject of a great deal of speculation at this time. The Suns guard has been linked to a trade, despite his no-trade clause. On top of that, Beal has been relegated to a bench role. All of this seems to be getting to Beal, as he looked quite frustrated before the Suns’ game against the Hawks, and even walked past the team huddle, presumably sending a message.
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Beal may have been frustrated before the game, but he didn’t let that impact his performance. He came off the bench to play 31 minutes and scored 25 points (11-16 FG), seven rebounds, two assists, three steals, and one block. His performance was pivotal to the Suns getting a 123-115 win over the Hawks.
Of course, some might argue that Beal was just in the zone, and didn’t want to get into the huddle to break his focus. But given that every other player on the team, including those who were coming off the bench was in the huddle, it does beg the question why he chose to avoid it and walk past them.
Much has been made about Bradley Beal’s recent move to the bench. Some suggested that the Suns were trying to upset him into waiving his no-trade clause so that they could make a move for Jimmy Butler. However, this rumor was rebuked, with a report stating that the Suns just moved Beal to the bench as it was the best move for the team.
Beal Commits To Being A Professional
Speaking after the game, Bradley Beal was asked about the challenges, physical and mental, of coming off the bench. He noted that it was a difficult transition, but he didn’t want to cause problems for the rest of the team and just decided to go with it. For Beal, despite his frustration, his priority was to do what was right for the team.
“Every moment. But again, I’m not gonna be a distraction, I’m not gonna be an a**hole, I’m not gonna be unprofessional. I’m going to do what I have to do. I’ll do my job…”
You can read the comments from Beal’s entire press conference here. Beal’s move to the bench may have been a little insulting to him as an All-Star caliber player, but it was necessary given how he had been playing before the decision being made.
For the season, Beal was averaging 18.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game, while shooting 50.7% from the field, 40.0% from the three-point line, and 77.1% from the charity stripe. But his form dipped entering the final week of December.
The Suns would go on a four-game losing stretch, where Beal played terribly averaging just 12.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 35.5% from the field, 35.0% from beyond the arc, and 50.0% from the free-throw line.
The decision was then made to bring him off the bench, and it transformed his performance, as he has averaged 20.0 points, 4.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting 59.1% from the field, 38.5% from beyond the arc, and 75.0% from the free-throw line in this new role.
Perhaps Beal might decide that it is time for a fresh start, as his role with the Suns has diminished greatly. Should that happen, the Suns would undoubtedly be ready to pull the trigger on a trade, presumably for Jimmy Butler. But they could go in another direction, as we have pitched nine possible trades for Beal that the Suns would be happy with.
The speculation might be running rampant, but the Bradley Beal saga is far from over right now. Stay tuned to Fadeaway World for the latest updates on the Bradley Beal saga, along with the rest of the NBA as we inch closer to the February 6th trade deadline.
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