UPDATE: Beal is off the injury report and is available Friday.
There’s no getting around it — the Bradley Beal acquisition has been an absolute disaster for the Phoenix Suns. Not only has he averaged just 17.8 points per game across his two-season stint while being a significant negative on the defensive side of the ball, Phoenix parted ways with significant assets to acquire him, and his max contract and no-trade clause were a primary reason why the Suns couldn’t make any improvements at the trade deadline. Now, Kevin Durant looks likely to demand a trade in the offseason, and Devin Booker could be out the door, too.
For his part, Beal is brash and unapologetic about the contract that is widely considered the league’s worst.
“I still have the best job in the world, and I still have my no-trade clause,” he told ESPN’s Tim McMahon in March.
The 31-year-old has alternated between stints in the starting lineup and coming off the bench all season, although he’s been more consistent in a reserve role. But he suffered a hamstring strain on March 16 in a 107-96 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers — the last of a 10-game return to the starting lineup — and has been sidelined ever sense. After his injury, Phoenix won four straight games before falling back to earth with four consecutive losses. After this most recent skid, the Suns look likely to miss even the Play-In Tournament, sitting one game behind the Sacramento Kings for the final slot with just +2000 odds to make the playoffs.
Fortunately — or perhaps unfortunately, given that Phoenix has been 9.4 points better per 100 possessions with him on the bench — Beal looks set to make his return during tomorrow’s contest against the Boston Celtics, according to Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer. He’s likely to be on a minutes restriction, but he wouldn’t have much fantasy value either way, especially against a Celtics team that has allowed the second-fewest points per game since February 1.
Phoenix will need Beal to be at his absolute best and most engaged for the home stretch, given that it has the second-hardest remaining schedule in the NBA, while Sacramento only has the 10th-hardest and the Dallas Mavericks the ninth-hardest. This season, the Suns are just 12-26 against teams at .500 or better. Phoenix will also be without Durant at least another few games after he suffered an ankle sprain on March 30.
