Phoenix Suns insider breaks down Bradley Beal contract buyout
The Suns bought out guard Bradley Beal’s contract, ending his time in Phoenix. The Republic’s Duane Rankin explains what it means for the team.
Vasa Micic played in just five games for a total of 21 minutes and didn’t score a single point in his short stint with the Phoenix Suns last season, but he must have been very observant.
Micic shared thoughts about Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and his time with the Suns during an interview on X&O’s Chat that was posted on YouTube this week.
He first talked about Durant a little more than an hour into the interview, saying the two-time finals MVP was “surprised” by how he was utilized.
From Serbia, Micic interviewed in his native language.
“(Durant) was surprised at how much they didn’t use him in Phoenix is an example of what he’s been doing,” Micic said in an interview that lasted one hour and 39 minutes.
Durant led Phoenix in points per game last season at 26.6 and was second to Booker in ball usage percentage at 28.3%. Booker finished the season with 28.5% ball usage.
“So these younger guys, there was that kid Ryan (Dunn),” Micic continued. “He enjoyed training with KD. KD often has this kind of intimidating body language, but he’s actually a real chill guy, seriously, but simply, he has to keep his guard up for his own reasons, but he’s very open to talk with people and so on. He’s extremely intelligent.”
Micic said he and Durant talked when Durant was rehabbing an ankle injury.
“His basketball vision is on a totally different level in terms of understanding,” Micic said. “I mean, nothing is by chance. On top of the work he puts in, studying opponents.”
Micic was then asked about Booker, the team’s second-leading scorer last season at 25.5 points a game. He called the franchise’s all-time leading scorer “different” at the start.
“Booker is an outstanding guy, but different,” Micic said. “He thinks that’s what the offseason is for. He believes that if you strike the iron while it’s hot and during the regular season, it’s money time, but he’s also an outstanding leader. He was a bit in the shadow, but not in a bad way, because he really respects KD so much.”
The Suns traded Durant before the 2025 draft to Houston for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and the 10th overall pick in the draft, who wound up being 7-footer Khaman Maluach out of Duke.
“His own leadership, which is pretty solid,” Micic continued about Booker. “He’s very much about the team, about involving all the players, couldn’t really come through because KD is way bigger than the whole story.”
Micic then shifted to Beal, who is now with the Los Angeles Clippers after the Suns bought him out this offseason. The Suns won just 36 games last season in their second and final year with the Big 3 of Booker, Durant and Beal.
“Bradley Beal is also a really good guy,” Micic said. “A true professional. So that trio was just a beauty to watch. Why didn’t they succeed? It was a bit of everything. Issues with the coach, issues with working together, which I don’t even know what it was.”
The Suns started the season 9-2 under Mike Budenholzer, but won just 27 games after that to finish 11th in the West and miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 season, which was the last time they had a losing record before last season.
The Suns fired Budenholzer after one season.
“Let’s say, self-sacrifice for the team,” Micic later said. “It disappeared and everything fell apart, but an unbelievably talented trio.”
Micic, 31, played 13 seasons overseas, earning EuroLeague MVP honors in 2021 and helping Anadolu Efes to EuroLeague championships in 2021 and 2022, before making his NBA debut in 2023 playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Suns acquired Micic from Charlotte before the 2025 trade deadline in a deal that sent Jusuf Nurkic to the Hornets.
Micic sensed the trade was imminent, but he had an “accident” before it went down.
“Just a couple of days before the trade that I kind of saw it coming,” he said. “I was already packed. I tweaked my ankle against Denver. It was really bad.”
Micic didn’t score in 15 minutes on 0-of-5 shooting in a 107-104 home loss Feb. 1 to the Nuggets.
Two days later, Micic posted 13 points, going 3-of-4 from 3, and five assists in 29 minutes against Washington.
The Hornets lost, 124-114, at home Feb. 3.
Hindsight 20/20, Micic should’ve been a spectator that night.
“And I probably should’ve taken those five, six days off back then, to wait for the trade and then be ready to finalize it,” Micic said. “I didn’t know it was going to be Phoenix, but I at least wanted to be healthy. Phoenix was a good spot to get some minutes those first two weeks, but the next day, I didn’t want to look like a coward, so I played 36 minutes on that ankle and ended up extending my recovery by another three or four weeks, which was pretty much the end.”
Three days later, they traded him to Phoenix. He made his Suns debut on March 2, late in a 116-98 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at PHX Arena.
“Honestly, I never considered going back to Europe. As long as I have a contract in the NBA. The reason I came (to the NBA) was definitely for my own challenge, coming out of the comfort zone.”
New Suns guard Vasa Micic after trade.
“As long as I have an NBA contract, I’ll be… pic.twitter.com/Uuen08wWu1
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) February 12, 2025
“Bradley (Beal) came back from injury and a few other players returned as well,” he said. “Phoenix was in a tough position at that time, and I just couldn’t. I’d already checked out mentally. I’d already started thinking seriously about preserving my body.”
Micic didn’t play again until March 17 against Toronto. The Suns won, 128-89. Micic played six minutes, but he didn’t attempt a shot.
“(Budenholzer) subbed me in after 2½ hours,” Micic said. “And really, I read the Lord’s Prayer before I went in. Man, I was in terrible shape physically after just 2½ hours of sitting. So I went up to him and said, ‘Coach, with all due respect, I feel like you’re respecting me by putting me in, but I’m at a higher risk of getting hurt than actually showing anything, especially in Toronto, there are five reckless guys ready to take me out for good and I wouldn’t like to end my career at 31.”
Micic didn’t play again until March 26 against Boston. He only logged four minutes in a 132-102 loss.
That was a risky call in his opinion, too.
“They subbed me in at the end, and I was really rude on the court because all I did was pass,” he said.
Micic ended the game with two turnovers, one personal foul, zero assists and zero points.
“As soon as I get the ball, I just pass it on,” a smiling Micic said. “And now, everyone was, since they knew who I was as a player, happy to see that I might do something, but I just went back and forth without changing direction, because if I change direction, everything would tear. From the shorts, hamstrings, to everything.”
Micic remembers reserve Baylor Scheierman guarding him – with something to prove.
“I see this guy, playing with a high intensity, like 300 miles an hour,” he said. “Just going 300, trying to prove himself in his five minutes and that’s fair and square. He’s earning his spot and they put him on me. So I’m guarding him and then look, the score difference is like, 50, 52, and it’s a baseline out of bounds. And he’s like, ‘Queta, Queta.’”
That’s Neemias Queta, a 7-foot, 248-pound center out of Utah State.
Uh oh. Look out.
“Now I know he’s going to go the other way,” Micic continues. “So, I step the other way and he ran into me. Kills me, man. And I shove him so hard. ‘What’s wrong with you, man? The score is 50 points,’ and the referee calls a foul on me. Some experienced referee.”
Phoenix trailed by as many as 34 points. Sean Corbin called the offensive foul on Micic.
“It pissed me off so much, hits my ego, I actually started really playing now,” he said. “But I know I can’t. So I walk up to the referee and say, ‘I don’t want to play, I don’t want to play.’ The guy looks at me like, ‘No way, that’s my foul.’ I mean, I didn’t even want to play, and you just called a foul on me. Why?”
He then said Suns teammate Monte Morris told him everything was fine.
“Leave it, leave it, it’s like a 52-point difference,” Micic said. “
The Suns dealt Micic back to Charlotte along with the 29th overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft and a 2029 first-round pick (least favorable of Cleveland, Minnesota, Utah) for 7-footer Mark Williams and a 2029 second-round selection.
Charlotte later traded him to Milwaukee in exchange for Pat Connaughton, a 2031 second-round draft pick, and a 2032 second-round draft pick in July.
The Bucks then waived Micic.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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