Despite looking excellent when healthy so far this season, Bradley Beal is still a divisive figure in Phoenix. In hindsight the decision to cash in on Chris Paul was the right one, with Beal the only realistic player they could get in return. Not that it makes stomaching his contract any easier if you're the Phoenix Suns.
The Suns recently came back from a four-game road trip in which they went 1-3, with Julius Randle of the Minnesota Timberwolves hitting a buzzer-beater to break fan's hearts in that final game. That shot wasn't the reason they lost the game, but it didn't make the defeat any easier to take. So we decided to ask the question -
Would you rather have Bradley Beal or Julius Randle on this team?
The final results are below - and although Beal ultimately edged this one - Randle jumped out to a strong start. So good in fact that for a minute there it was unclear if Beal could make up the ground, before getting the love of the fans that he has felt in Footprint Center so far this season.
But why did he ultimately come out on top? Randle had just poured in 35 points - by far his best performance since being sent to Minnesota by the New York Knicks this offseason - with his size point out as a reason why the Suns would love to have him early on. Those fans have a point too, Randle is a better defender than actual center Jusuf Nurkic for example.
Simple question after last night, who would you rather have on this Suns team? Why?
— Valley of the Suns (@ValleyoftheSuns) November 18, 2024
That size blended with talent has been painfully lacking in Phoenix for some time now - and although Kevin Durant is obviously a better player than Randle - the two play the forward position very differently. The logic goes that Randle, Durant and Devin Booker, plus the current role players the Suns have, would do better than with Beal in there instead.
That might be true, but what is also worth pointing out is the fact both regularly suffer with injury. You would have to have a short memory not to accept that the Knicks really took off when Randle when down with season-ending shoulder surgery last year, and that the vibes looked a lot better when he wasn't around either.
Then center Isaiah Hartenstein was able to replicate much of the defensive talents of Randle - and excel in other areas on that end of the court - while offensively the black hole like play was eradicated and in its place Jalen Brunson created magic. Winning cures all, but if you go back and watch the Timberwolves vs Suns game, there was a lot of Randle getting the ball and going to work.
That's great when his shot is falling - it usually leads to him being more engaged on the defensive end as well - but there isn't really a Plan B. Contrast with Beal, who has figured out how to be the third option when he needs to be, but can also step up if teammates are injured. Defensively he looks as good as ever as well, which shows his contributions in various ways.
Which is ultimately how Beal won this battle. It was rightly close - but with Randle not being known for his health and Beal very much in the same category - it felt better for more fans to stick with what they know here. They might have been burned by the Julius Randle experience recently, but that doesn't mean it is one worth signing up for.