A lot of the blame game has started in the aftermath of the Phoenix Suns dismissing head coach Mike Budenholzer. One of the stories doing the rounds is that Budenholzer lost control of the locker room, which includes falling out with Suns guard Bradley Beal.
According to insider Chris Haynes, Beal, who was relegated to the bench for 15 games, was unhappy with Budenholzer’s desire for him to play a lesser role on the team.
On his “Haynes Briefs” show, Haynes reported that Budenholzer wanted Beal to play a role similar to that of Celtics guard Jrue Holiday—a defensive ace and role player.
“Earlier in the season, Coach Budenholzer met with Bradley Beal, and told Bradley Beal, he wanted him to be the Jrue Holiday of this team,“ Haynes said. ”Holiday is a player who might become a Hall of Famer. But you gotta understand, when you’re talking to a guy of Bradley Beal’s caliber, it wasn’t well-received.
Beal Felt ‘Disrespected’ by Coach Bud
“You know the type of player Bradley Beal is,” Haynes continued. “You know how he’s made a name for himself in this league, playing his way. So asking him to shift his game, alter it and to say Jrue Holiday on top of that, somebody who Coach Budenholzer has won a championship with in Milwaukee. It wasn’t well-received the way it was explained to me.”
Suns beat writer John Gambadoro provided additional details on the Budenholzer-Beal relationship, noting that Beal felt “disrespected” when asked to play a lesser role.
“I know about this story it is true – Beal told Bud “Don’t ever disrespect me like that. Don’t ever tell me to play like another player,” Gambadoro wrote on X.
Suns May Struggle To Trade Beal
Ideally, the Suns would prefer to trade both Kevin Durant and Beal in the 2025 offseason, and start anew under Devin Booker. However, that may be easier said than done. Since Beal owns a no-trade clause in the final two years of his 5-year, $251M contract, the Suns can’t ship the All-Star guard to a place of their choosing.
According to multiple insiders, the Suns had the framework in place to acquire Jimmy Butler at the 2025 trade deadline, but the deal fell through due to Beal’s reluctance to waive his no-trade clause.
Although Beal’s run in Phoenix hasn’t yielded success, the veteran guard believes he can be a long-term contributor. In his exit interview after the 2024-25 season, Beal sounded optimistic about remaining on the team through the 2025-26 season.
“I’m always confident in what we have, man,” Beal told Sports Illustrated on April 12.
“I believe in what we got in there. Things happen. We didn’t have a good year.
“I love Phoenix. I love being here. Hopefully I can continue to be here, but I know Mat (Ishbia) is probably going to make some changes. But I enjoyed this group, it was a fun group to be apart of.”
Beal arrived in Phoenix ahead of the 2023-24 season as part of a trade involving Chris Paul and a bevy of first-round picks.,
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Suns Star Felt ‘Disrespected’ By Fired Coach Mike Budenholzer