The Phoenix Suns entered the season with a championship-or-bust mindset, and the early results were promising, as they started 2024-25 with an 8-1 record. Those were the days. Phoenix is now two and a half games back from the No. 10 seed with four regular-season games remaining.
The Suns wrapped up a three-game road trip on Sunday with a 0-3 record, falling to the Bucks, Celtics, and Knicks. Phoenix's stop at MSG lined up with Jalen Brunson's first game back after spraining his ankle a month earlier. The game was closer than expected, but New York pulled away for the 112-98 win.
Devin Booker's 40 points weren't enough for the Suns, and it didn't help that they're still without Kevin Durant, who sprained his ankle last week. Bradley Beal returned to the lineup on Saturday (a 1-point outing) after dealing with a hamstring sprain. He finished with 16 points (8-of-19 from the field, 0-of-5 from three), four steals, two assists, and two rebounds in 34 minutes. He had a team worst +/- of -12.
NBA legend Walt Frazier speaks the truth about Beal's time with Suns
Mike Breen and Hall of Famer Walt 'Clyde' Frazier were on the call for MSG Networks. That duo is one of the best in the game. Frazier, who won two titles with the Knicks in the 1970s, recently turned 80. He doesn't go on as many road trips with the team as he once did, making fans that much more appreciative of his presence on the sidelines alongside Breen.
Frazier tells it like it is. His honesty is part of what makes listening to him so refreshing. Beal was the recipient of some of Frazier's bluntness on Sunday. OG Anunoby turned the ball over early in the first quarter, and Beal passed the ball ahead to Booker, who swung it to Ryan Dunn. The rookie passed it to Beal, who was cutting to the rim for a layup. Beal blew it. Josh Hart got the rebound and threw the ball across the court to Anunoby, who threw down a dunk.
Clyde Frazier- "Beal has been inept, incompetent, incoherent as a Sun." 💀
— Jokicism 🃏 (@jokicgoatic15) April 6, 2025
Seriously, Beal rn might be worse than Lakers Russ. pic.twitter.com/qCr94WpyX0
Frazier said that the play was "indicative of Beal's season" and that the veteran has been "inept, incompetent, and incoherent as a Sun." Breen added injured to the list, pointing out that Beal has missed 28 games this season. Right after Breen said that, Beal missed another shot.
Beal is averaging a career-low 17 points per game this season, shooting 49.7% from the field and 38.2% from three. He hasn't come close to living up to the expectations the Suns envisioned when they acquired him in a three-team deal two summers ago. If it weren't for Beal's no-trade clause that he didn't want to waive before February's deadline, he'd likely be on another team right now.
The 31-year-old is making $50.2 million this season. He'll make $53.7 million next season and has a $57.1 million player option in 2026-27. Maybe he'll be willing to waive his no-trade clause this summer, but it could be another sticking point for Phoenix. Mat Ishbia and the front office have no one to blame but themselves for assembling the most expensive roster in the league, with no hardware to show for it.