The Bradley Beal era in Phoenix is the kind of thing Suns fans won’t need a reminder about. It was messy, expensive, and ultimately went nowhere close to what the franchise had in mind when it brought him in. Yet The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie recently suggested that the story might not have been quite as bleak as most people remember.
“I don't think Bradley Beal is done. He's still only 33-years-old, he didn't look great (with the Clippers) but obviously he was hurt last year. I thought the time in Phoenix was better than people remember in my opinion.”
Vecenie didn’t stop there. He pointed to the numbers, but argued that the full picture was more encouraging than the general reaction around Beal’s stint in Phoenix.
“I get it, the on/off numbers don't look particularly great. But he was an effective shooter who I thought showed better defensive commitment than I had seen from him previously... it's just that he was tasked to be a top three option and at this point in his career he is not a top three option”.
That’s where the pushback starts to get loud. Phoenix gave up Chris Paul for Beal, took on a player with a no-trade clause, and then eventually had to buy him out just to get him off the roster after two underwhelming seasons. His body broke down, and the fit alongside Devin Booker never really settled in, either.
Vecenie also floated the idea that Beal could still help a team in a much smaller role, even something like the end of a bench spot for the Miami Heat. That becomes more believable if he can stay on the floor longer than he did with the LA Clippers, where he played only six games last time out. On a minimum contract, he could be useful.
The comparison to Phoenix’s other business only makes the Beal situation look harsher. The Suns landed Luke Kennard at the number they did, and that was viewed as strong value.
Beal, at anything close to his old cost, was always going to be a tougher sell. Vecenie may see more life left in him, but his time in Phoenix was a failure from start to finish.
In Other News...
Jordan Goodwin Meant More To The Suns Than Most Fans Realized
Jordan Goodwin spent much of the 2025-26 season becoming one of the Suns more quietly important pieces, the kind of player whose value shows up in the details before it shows up in the conversation. Over 70 games, he made real strides in scoring, shot the ball more efficiently and lifted his three-point percentage, all while fitting into the sort of role that can stabilize a team trying to find its footing.
His absence in the playoffs was harder to ignore. Goodwin was sidelined early by a calf injury and missed most of the first-round series against Oklahoma City, a matchup Phoenix lost in four straight, and the Suns never quite looked the same without the energy and dependability he had brought during their turnaround run. For a team that needed every usable rotation piece it could get, losing one of its most trusted contributors became a bigger deal than many fans seemed to realize. [Read more 🡒]
Mike DAntoni Just Reinforced Why Suns Fans Should Trust Jordan Ott
Mike DAntonis latest stop on the Suns After Dark podcast offered a reminder that Jordan Otts rise in the coaching ranks didnt happen in a vacuum. The former Phoenix coach talked about their time together on the Brooklyn Nets staff and came away sounding convinced that Ott already had the kind of offensive feel and preparation that teams want in a lead assistant, the sort of behind-the-scenes credibility that matters when a franchise is trying to build something durable.
For Suns fans, the endorsement lands at a useful moment. Ott has already started to look like a stabilizing presence as the organization works through recent roster changes and other moving parts, and hearing a coach with DAntonis background speak so confidently about him only adds to the sense that Phoenix has found someone equipped for the long haul. The bigger question now is how far that trust can carry once the Suns start putting the pieces together on the floor. [Read more 🡒]