The Phoenix Suns are dealing with multiple issues around their stars heading into the offseason.
At the beginning of the 2024-25 NBA season, fans expected the Phoenix Suns to be one of the most dominant teams in the Western Conference.
However, in reality, the Suns failed to live up to those expectations as they missed the postseason, finishing 11th in the standings.
3x NBA All-Star Bradley Beal faced fury from fans and media alike for his abysmal performance throughout the season. Now, the Suns are expected to trade Beal, but one thing stands in their way – the no-trade clause.
Photo by Tyler McFarland/Clarkson Creative/Getty ImagesBill Simmons explains how the Phoenix Suns can force Bradley Beal to waive his no-trade clause
Right now, only two NBA stars have the powerful no-trade clause in their contracts – LeBron James and Bradley Beal.
Since James is one of the faces of the league, fans understand the LA Lakers star has the power to veto a trade. However, Beal having this power certainly doesn’t match his value as a star in the NBA.
Evidently, this has restricted the Suns from trading Beal to any team of their choice. But NBA analyst Bill Simmons believes there is a way the Suns can force Beal to waive his no-trade clause.
“I wonder is that the only move left for Phoenix? Like, he like Beal just doesn’t play. I’m saying that you just don’t play him. You’re like we expect you to show up on time um suit up, and you just never play.
“And maybe you bring him in when it’s like a 40-point game. You bring him in for like the last two minutes,” Simmons said on his podcast.
The renowned sports analyst believes the Suns can essentially ‘break’ Beal using this drastic method.
“He has to stretch and come out like it’s all about basically getting to break him. So he waives the no-trade clause.”
Bradley Beal has exploited his no-trade clause
Beal averaged 17.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game while playing in just 53 contests for the Suns in the 2024-25 NBA season.
It became evident during the course of the season that Beal was no longer a good fit in the starting lineup. He was moved to the bench, but it didn’t help much.
There is a chance that Beal played a role in the Suns firing Mike Budenholzer. After all, Beal felt disrespected when coach Budenholzer wanted him to replicate Jrue Holiday’s game.
On top of that, when Beal was linked to multiple teams during the NBA Trade Deadline, he gave an explosive interview to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
In the interview, Beal admitted he navigated through the rumors while smiling, partly due to his no-trade clause. If this isn’t taking advantage of it, then what is?