PHILADELPHIA — Bradley Beal did not see the decision coming. He did not think that he would be moved out of the starting lineup, a position he had occupied for all 76 games he’d played with the Suns. It had been so long since he came off the bench — March 4, 2016, if you’re counting — that he did not have an indication a change was on the horizon.
So, when he was told ahead of Monday’s game in Philadelphia that he would now be coming off the bench, Beal was rightly surprised.
“One hundred percent,” he said flatly.
It’s understandable that Beal was caught off-guard. He has been advertised as one leg of this Big Three in Phoenix since the moment he waived his no-trade clause about a year and a half ago to approve a trade out of Washington. He is also the fifth-highest-paid player in the league, a not insignificant measure of respect and sway.
Still, there he was coming onto the floor at Wells Fargo Center with 6:51 left in the first quarter, in place of Ryan Dunn, the rookie who replaced him in the starting five. If Beal had been seen as a problematic cog for the Suns, he did his best Monday to amend that view. He scored 25 points and had five assists in Phoenix’s 109-99 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. It was a much-needed win. It snapped the Suns’ four-game losing streak and stabilized them, at least for a night, as they try to keep pace in the West. They are tied for 11th at 16-18.
The change, however, also put a spotlight on Beal’s place on the Suns. Beal was moved out of the starting lineup just days after the Miami Heat suspended Jimmy Butler and vowed to trade him. Butler has been tied to the Suns since the possibility he might be moved heated up, and Beal has gotten caught up in that. A Butler-for-Beal deal might just be the easiest Lego pieces to combine around the NBA, even if moving Butler to Phoenix would be a complex transaction because of the constraints of the CBA and the Suns’ roster and asset composition. Beal, the 31-year-old former All-Star, would also have to waive his no-trade clause again to facilitate a move, if the Suns did have interest in trading him.
“If so, I need to be addressed because I hold the cards,” Beal said. “So, until I’m addressed and somebody says something differently, then I’ll be a Sun.”
Bradley Beal, chatting with Tyrese Maxey, may have a lot to talk about with the Suns. (Bill Streicher / Imagn Images)
Beal also intends to play in whatever position he’s put. He was not happy about being moved to the bench, but he said he adjusted to it quickly, putting together one of his best games of the season. He offered the Suns a burst of energy at a time they needed it as they meandered through an ugly first half against the Sixers.
On a night when Devin Booker missed 13 of 16 shots and Kevin Durant took a while to get going, Beal was the catalyst in the second half to help Phoenix separate. He was a team-high plus-14 and made 10 of 15 shots.
The performance substantiated his belief that he remains a talent worthy of the pedigree he has accrued in his 13 seasons in the NBA. That confidence hasn’t diminished.
“I’m a starter in the league,” he said. “I firmly believe that. I don’t believe that — no disrespect to anyone, but I’m a starter. That’s what I firmly believe. But coach (Mike Budenholzer) made his decision. I’m not gonna sit here and argue with it. I’m not gonna sit here and be a distraction. I’m not gonna sit here and be an a–hole. He made his decision. I live with it. He’s the coach, know what I’m saying? I just gotta go out and play my game, and whatever happens from there, happens from there.”
The Suns, however, may need more than just one lineup change to fix what ails them in Budenholzer’s first year on the sidelines in Phoenix. The early season alchemy that led to an 8-1 start has left them. They’ve endured injuries to Durant and Beal, while also integrating key pieces like Dunn, who ascended into the lineup as Beal and Jusuf Nurkic went to the bench.
Despite Durant, Booker and Beal, Phoenix is 10th in the NBA in offensive rating. The defense is, statistically, eighth worst in the league in points per possession.
Over the last few days, the team has met to discuss its problems, Durant said. The meetings have illuminated why they lose and why they win. That place of understanding, he believes, is a good place to be.
Even amid their recent struggles, the Suns remain close to a playoff spot — and in the West, it is never too early to be mindful of the standings. They are just a game out of 10th and the Play-In Tournament and three games behind the Mavericks for the sixth seed and avoiding that morass altogether.
While the decision to move Beal may cause drama in the short term, Booker believes the Suns’ situation remains the same as it has always been.
“I don’t think it changes anything, you know, as long as we keep the same mindset,” Booker said. “We’re a super talented team, we’re a deep team. We haven’t clicked like we wanted to yet this season, you know, but it’s all about timing. You want to click at the right time and, you know, hopefully figure it out during this part of the season. And once it gets down to the nitty-gritty, pick it up.”
(Top photo: Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)
