Reaction: Suns Are Right to Bench Bradley Beal

The Phoenix Suns' starting lineup decision could indicate much larger moves on the horizon.

Dec 28, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) waits for play to resume against the Golden State Warriors during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- A season that has turned from promising to borderline disastrous for the Phoenix Suns just had another wrinkle thrown into the mix last night.

NBA insider Chris Haynes took to Twitter/X to break some truly shocking news - the Suns are set to move both Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic to the bench beginning with tonight's game against the Philadelphia 76ers, citing locker room tension as a key deciding factor in the decision.

"Now there's also tension in that locker room. I'm told certain players are unsure of their roles and frustrated with how they're being used and the coaching staff, they're still trying to figure things out. So this situation, it will be something to monitor moving forward.

- Haynes on Suns' locker room situation

This report was later confirmed by Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic - who also noted that Kevin Durant and Devin Booker have been getting shots up on a different basket than Beal was post-practice for a vast majority of this season.

These developments very well could paint one of two pictures - one is that this is simply a concerted effort to find creative ways to potentially give the squad a jolt of energy in an effort to salvage this disappointing start.

The other is that this is not only the end of the Beal experiment in Phoenix - but also Nurkic.

There had been unconfirmed whispers over previous months that Beal wasn't necessarily as happy as he had envisioned in the new role, situation, and city - these recent developments could very well lend credence to the notion that both sides are motivated to find a new home for the former All-NBA stud.

Nurkic has also struggled mightily this season after coming off of a solid first season in the Valley that was dampened by his performance in the first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The major question as to whether one or both get moved likely comes down to salary.

It could be conceivable that Nurkic could be taken on by a "tanking" team as a form of salary filler - as 2025-26 is the final season of his contract.

Beal would be a more difficult sell - as it feels like the clearest path to starting over would be to move him in a three-team deal that would bring Jimmy Butler to Phoenix.

While it would be difficult to find a team to take on Beal, don't count out a team looking for a short-term boost in the thick of a playoff race such as the Detroit Pistons or teams stuck in no-mans-land such as the Sacramento Kings or Chicago Bulls as potential spots that could look as Beal as an All-Star caliber player still.

No matter the angle - one thing is clear. The Suns need to try something different in any form possible. This experiment has yet to work on a consistent enough basis to justify doing the same thing over and over - the benching decision was the right one to make.