January 13, 2016. That was 3,281 days ago when the Phoenix Suns took on the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. What is the significance of that date? It was the last time that Bradley Beal came off the bench in his career. That was until Monday.
Bradley Beal Does Something For First Time In 3,281 Days
Bradley Beal Came Off Bench Monday For First Time In Nearly 9 Years
On Monday, the Suns defeated the 76ers by the score of 109-99. Yes, Philadelphia was without superstar Joel Embiid, but any win is good for Phoenix of late. They entered the contest losers of four straight, and seven of their last eight.
For the first time in nine years, Beal didn’t start a game that he was available for. He seemed to play revitalized in the victory. Playing 30 minutes, he finished the game with 25 points, three rebounds, and five assists. He shot 10-15 from the field and 3-6 from beyond the arc.
Beal Was Not Only One Benched
The Suns have been floundering for quite some time. Their 8-1 start to the season seems like ages ago. Entering Monday, they were 15-18, meaning they were just 7-17 in their last 24 outings (before Monday’s win). It was becoming fairly evident that changes needed to be made before the season went completely off the rails.
Late Sunday evening, NBA insider Chris Haynes tweeted out an enormous change that would take effect during Monday’s game. Both Beal and Jusuf Nurkic would be heading to the bench, and entering the starting lineup in their place would be Mason Plumlee and Ryan Dunn.
Sources: In midst of 4-game losing streak and tension in locker room, Phoenix expected to make drastic change by removing Bradley Beal, Jusuf Nurkic from starting lineup beginning Monday at Philadelphia. #haynesbriefs pic.twitter.com/utz0FNLppB
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 6, 2025
The last time that the 6-foot-4 Beal had come off the bench, he was just 22 years old and in his fourth season. Now, he is in his 13th year in the league and is 31 years old.
On June 23, 2023, the Suns acquired Beal from the Washington Wizards. The transaction was expected to give Phoenix one of the best trios in the NBA alongside Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Due to injuries, and Beal not looking as effective as he did in his earlier years with Washington, the move hasn’t quite panned out.
In his first season with the Suns, Beal missed 29 games. His 18.2 scoring average was his lowest since the year he last came off the bench (2015-16). While his scoring certainly was expected to dip playing with Durant and Booker, there were times he seemed invisible on the offensive end. Phoenix unceremoniously got swept in the opening round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Trade Hasn’t Panned Out Yet
The third pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, Beal was one of the game’s top scorers at times during his 11 seasons with the Wizards. In back-to-back seasons (2019-20 and 2020-21), Beal averaged more than 30 points per contest.
The Beal, Durant, and Booker-led Suns squad hasn’t worked out as according to plan. With the trade deadline now about a month away, it remains to see if Beal will remain with the team. It won’t be easy to deal him due to the no-trade clause in his contract that he would have to waive along with the two years and about $110 million left on his deal after this season.
