“They do NOT want him back. But he is untradable and if he does not agree to a buyout they may be stuck with him,” wrote Arizona Sports reporter John Gambadoro about Bradley Beal earlier this month. It is no secret that, for many Phoenix Suns fans and even members of the front office, the situation with Beal has become frustrating. The player was unable to play at the level that was expected from him after his contract awarded him $46.74 million last year, and $50.2 million for the 2024-25 season. With 3 years still remaining on the contract, the Suns want to get rid of him, but the ‘no-trade’ clause prevents them from doing so. Now, after a recent Suns-Rockets trade deal, questions have arisen about what the future will hold for Beal.

The ESPN Insider recently joined his co-worker, Stephen A. Smith, for an interview on the latter’s show. As the topic of discussion shifted to discussing Bradley Beal, Smith revealed hearing that the Suns management is “disgusted” with Bradley Beal, and couldn’t give him away fast enough. He also touched base on the rumor that Matt Ishbia, the Phoenix Suns’ owner, is “literally strongly contemplating” sitting Beal down for the rest of the upcoming season. After all, the Phoenix Suns can’t do something by themselves, but they can make the environment around Beal uncomfortable enough to compel him to leave by himself.

Charania revealed that “going into this summer, both of those sides were going to have conversations about his future, because clearly last off, last season, they included him in plenty of trade talks around the league. They were trying to figure out ‘Is there Bradley Beal hope to get Jimmy Butler?’.”

The intrigue over Jimmy Butler, as the ESPN insider highlighted, was due to him being an ‘alpha’ personality. However, the Sunshave already fulfilled that need now by acquiring Dillon Brooks! Therefore, there is a good chance that the ‘alpha’ player overshadows Beal, thereby limiting his role in the Suns roster. Then again, nothing is confirmed.

“That…. now, they kind of look at Dillon Brooks as similar. He’s an alpha guy. Now, Jimmy Butler, Dillon Brooks, All-NBA, All-Star player Jimmy Butler. Uh, Dillon Brooks obviously has done a lot of good things in the league, but Jimmy Butler is a star. But they are excited about Dillon Brooks” said Charania. “But yeah, I mean, there’s no question that’ll be a conversation, the Suns are going to have to have with Bradley Beal? What’s the fit there? He’s going to probably want to have that conversation as well to figure out just exactly where he’s at with that situation. But there’s no doubt, Stephen A., there were a lot of conversations, and when … if you’re Bradley Beal, you’re listening to all these conversations, and you’re the one with the no-trade clause, I do wonder how he feels”.

Dillon Brooks isn’t the only person who is set to make Bradley Beal’s future within the Suns franchise bleak just by his presence. After all, the trade with the Houston Rockets also brought in Jalen Green. Due to his salary and potential upside, the 23-year-old was a logical candidate to be traded to get a veteran star like Kevin Durant. Unfortunately, with the Suns stuck with Bradley Beal, either he or Green had to compromise. A team can’t make 2 primary shooting guards work well. Beal’s ‘no-trade clause’ made Green prime for another trade deal. However, according to Shams Charania, Green can still be utilized in some position on the court.

“I think, at this point, you make this trade, and the Suns are making this trade with Jalen Green in mind for next season. They’re making it with him and Devin Booker as a high-powered backcourt,” said Charania. “You still have Bradley Beal, though, and he’s got two years upwards of a $100-$110 million left on his contract”.

It won’t be a surprise if Bradley Beal gets shifted to a bench role, and Green becomes the primary shooting guard. The 21.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists Green averaged in the recent season were much better than the 17.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists Beal averaged. While Beal was slightly better at averaging both the field goal percentage and the 3-point percentage, Green’s higher attempts showed that he is willing to put in the work. If that isn’t enough, then the 23-year-old can complement Dillon Brooks better as a starter, having already been teammates with him for 2 years.

The Suns have all the tools at their disposal now to sideline Bradley Beal and force him to quit the team by himself. Under this immense pressure, it would be better if the player simply ceded. After all, if this goes on for long, no team might want Beal anymore, or he will be taken in at a much, much lower value than he deserves.

Stephen A. Smith urges Bradley Beal to leave Phoenix Suns: “There’s no way around this”

Some might argue that, by refusing to allow the Phoenix Suns to trade him, Bradley Beal is holding the team hostage. The Suns had already spent the highest amount on salaries, aka $214.371 million, during the 2024-25 season, and Beal commanded the 2nd highest pay after Kevin Durant. His pay for the next season will be higher. Through the no-trade clause, Beal has job security for the next 2 seasons. No matter whether he will be a starter or a bench player, the player will nevertheless be paid. However, given the Suns star’s current demeanour, what will happen after the 2 seasons? Will his current reputation allow him to get a good team and a good contract?

In a previous segment of ‘The Stephen A. Smith Show’, the ESPN sportscaster Smith revealed inside information that “if they can’t get rid of him, they might sit his a-s down or pay him to stay home”. This led Smith to further add that “And if you’re Bradley Beal, you’ve got to think about how good that looks for you or how bad that looks for you? They are paying you over $50 million. They don’t want you, and they can’t give you away for a box of cookies. What the hell is going on? What are you doing that they got them questioning that about you?”

If Derrick Rose taught us anything, it is that even the best of the best players can see a drastic reduction in their NBA contracts when misfortune strikes them. The same player who had a 5-year, $94.314 million contract with the Chicago Bulls was given a 1-year, $418,607 minimum deal with the Dallas Mavericks. It would be better if Beal allowed himself to be traded and save himself from further humiliation once his contract with the Suns expires.

“There’s no way around this,” Smith added. “If you know that’s your circumstances and your situation, you’re not in much of a position to play hardball with anybody.”

No matter how things turn out, at least one thing is certain. Bradley Beal is never again getting a contract with a ‘no-trade’ clause. Whether Jalen Green’s presence would be enough to make Beal look for other teams is something that remains to be seen.