Taking star shooting guard Bradley Beal off the bench during Monday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers was a big move by Phoenix Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer. The experiment was successful because they won 109-99 in the first game.
However, their second game with Beal as the Suns’ sixth man resulted in a 115-104 loss against the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday. On Wednesday, former NBA star Gilbert Arenas addressed his issue with the demotion of the three-time All-Star to the bench.
“I just want to see how the spacing looks now when you take him out,” Arenas said. “To see if Booker starts getting doubled, KD starts getting doubled. It might not be what they think. Bringing him off the bench, like other people gets shots. He gets more shots but it might mess up your two compontents, too. Because you (the defense) can focus on them.
“You gotta have an offense that’s made for quick scoring, quick movement. Run TMC. You gotta have an offense that’s made for three juggernauts like that. You can’t be sitting there, it sticks in the corner, he got to get his groove on, hit the pick and roll. Now, he gotta give it back, you sit here and do this. That s**t don’t work with them three.
“You gotta have an offense that’s made for 3 juggernauts like that.”
Bringing Bradley Beal off the Phoenix Suns bench might mess up Kevin Durant and Devin Booker’s flow. pic.twitter.com/HC4F9pb94E
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) January 9, 2025
Arenas clarified that Mike Budenholzer, the team’s head coach, ought to experiment with their offense. According to the former Washington Wizards player, the Suns can succeed with a fast offense. He also made fun of the head coach by claiming that Mike D’Antoni, a former franchise coach, could make it work.
“So yeah, you gotta bring one off the bench. [Mike] D’Antoni will make that s**t work.”
No discussion for Bradley Beal waiving his no-trade clause
Amid the benching, Bradley Beal is still surrounded by trade rumors. There have been discussions regarding Beal’s plan to waive his no-trade clause in his contract. One of the notes in his contract prevents the Suns from trading him easily without him having a say in it.
Mark Bartelstein, Beal’s agent, clarified that his client has not waived his no-trade clause.
“There have been no discussions about trades with the Suns or any other team,” Bartelstein said. “Bradley’s total focus is on helping the Suns turn things around.”
Beal is aware that he will have the final word in any agreement Phoenix has in mind. The star has averaged 17.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 25 games this season.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
