Valley of the Suns
Fansided

Former franchise player expresses interest in playing with Bradley Beal

Luke Duffy|
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 29: John Wall #2 and Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards follow the action from the bench as their is getting blown out by Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Staples Center on November 29, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 29: John Wall #2 and Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards follow the action from the bench as their is getting blown out by Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Staples Center on November 29, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

The Phoenix Suns were on the end of the worst defeat of their season on Thursday night, with the San Antonio Spurs taking a second straight game off the team at the Footprint Center. Even the return of Devin Booker couldn’t stop this, and the Spurs didn’t leave it late to win either.

The defeat drops the Suns to 2-3 on the young season, and it is clear already that the roster is missing Bradley Beal. Their offseason addition failing to hit the court in the regular season because of a tweak in his back.

That hasn’t stopped a former franchise player and teammate of Beal’s from expressing an interest in teaming up again in the future if possible.

The player in question is John Wall, the point guard who was one of the best in the league for a stretch there with the Washington Wizards. He and Beal created a fearsome backcourt duo, but injuries at the wrong times meant we never really got to see the two in full flow together.

It wasn’t until Wall was no longer in town that Beal became the guy for the Wizards, but a poor supporting cast and failure to really nail their lottery picks meant his best chance of winning was always going to be elsewhere. Now 33-years-old and without a team, Wall had this to say when asked by Shams Charania on FanDuel’s Run It Back show if he would team up with Beal again.

"“Me and Brad are still brothers, we still talk a lot. A lot of people always want to make us like we’re not cool with each other and that’s the reason why things happen… I congratulate him on moving there (the Suns) and hope the best for him and hopefully he can finally win him a championship. But yeah, if I could join that team for sure I would love that.”"

Wall saying he would join the Suns makes sense, because who wouldn’t want to join a contender having never won a championship before? It would also represent a way back into the league for the player as well. But in this instance, the merits to the organization considering Wall also make sense.

Charania may have done Jordan Goodwin and Saben Lee a disservice by pointing out that the team only has one true ball-handler (and the insinuation may have been that this was Booker), but Wall is a more experienced point guard than both Goodwin and Lee. Is he better than both at this stage of his career?

That remains to be seen but look at this another way. In a playoff series with a game on the line, would you rather have Wall with the ball in hand, teeing up Durant, Booker and Beal? Or would you rather have one of the other two, younger guards? Wall wouldn’t be needed during the regular season, and instead could be added later in the deadline with the postseason in mind.

Not to pick on Bol Bol or Chimezie Metu, but both don’t look like they’re going to get a lot of minutes throughout the season. Drew Eubanks is a nice backup big, although rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama did highlight some of the Suns’ depth issues at the center position by going off for 38 points in the Spurs’ win over the Suns.

Still, waiving one of them may be the answer to adding some guard depth, and Wall would be an intriguing – and more importantly cheap – option for the Suns to consider. His previous chemistry with Beal an added bonus, but really this would be an opportunity to add a veteran who wants to win a championship to their core group of players. One who would happily play a limited role.

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