The Phoenix Suns have already begun shaping their post-Bradley Beal future. When they shipped Kevin Durant to Houston in their blockbuster deal, Jalen Green was the young player with room to grow they got back. For a team that Mat Ishbia hopes can win basketball games, betting on one of the most inefficient volume scorers in the league is hardly a reassuring plan.
Green has flashed electric athleticism and the ability to get hot in spurts. What he has not shown is the maturity or polish to consistently impact winning at a high level. Over the course of three years in Houston, his decision-making often stalled offensive possessions, his defense remained a liability, and his shooting percentages never came close to matching the confidence with which he hoisted shots. There have been stretches of promise for Jalen, but none of it has truly translated into sustainable team success.
Now, Phoenix is plugging him in next to Devin Booker and hoping for chemistry to form quickly. But the pairing lacks a clear hierarchy or playmaking identity. Green is not a true point guard, and he's far more erratic than Beal. His shot selection remains questionable, and his tunnel vision in the half-court could become a major issue in a Suns system that needs efficiency.
Jalen Green isn't exactly a perfect fit in Phoenix
This decision also comes at a time when Phoenix has limited options to reshape its roster. Their depth is shallow, their cap flexibility is nonexistent, and they just handed the reins to a player who has never had to carry meaningful responsibility within a winning framework.
It is one thing to acquire Jalen Green as a developmental flyer with time and patience in mind. It is another to essentially pencil him in as a featured scorer without the infrastructure or runway to let him learn through his mistakes. On a rebuilding team, that could be fine. On a team still pretending to chase contention, it is dangerous.
Replacing Bradley Beal with Jalen Green might have made sense from a cap sheet perspective or as part of a longer-term retool, but it makes no sense within the current trajectory Phoenix insists it is on. If anything, it signals a franchise that cannot make up its mind about where it wants to be. One foot in the future and one foot clinging to a fading title dream is not a stable foundation, and Jalen Green is not the kind of player who fixes that. He might eventually become something more, but it doesn't look like a great bet right now.