Bradley Beal, remember him? Yeah, we prefer not to think about it too much either. His time with the Phoenix Suns was a disaster, and the fact he was limited to just 53 games in both of his seasons in The Valley didn't help matters either.
Unfortunately for Beal, it hasn't gotten much better since joining the L.A. Clippers. They're in turmoil, and doing a Suns' legend dirty in the process, while he's already done for the season with a left hip fracture. Ouch.
Grayson Allen has always been perfect Beal replacement.
It should come as no surprise then that the Suns immediately upgraded on Beal, but what we didn't see coming (and we should have) was with who was going to assume that role. That would be Grayson Allen, you know the guy who was on the roster the entire time that Beal was.
The Clippers added Chris Paul (40), Bradley Beal (32), and Brook Lopez (37) over the summer
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 4, 2025
All 3 of the free-agent signings are no longer playing/out of the rotation pic.twitter.com/9NQ3Te9l6t
Allen already showed us that he was the man for the position too, stepping in when Beal was injured in his first season in Phoenix to become the third best player on the team. Last season saw massive regression, with Tyus Jones (another name we don't speak of) ruining Allen's flow.
But with a clear path back to a starting spot this season when healthy, this is the best basketball Allen has ever played. Now 30-years-old, he knows exactly how to fit into what head coach Jordan Ott is trying to do. It also helps that he no longer has to defer to Kevin Durant, or even Devin Booker.
Rather he makes Booker's life easier out there, by being a secondary playmaker and also knocking down 43.8 percent of his efforts from deep. He has managed to achieve this by slotting in behind not only Booker, but Dillon Brooks as well.
In other words, he's become exactly what Beal was supposed to in Phoenix. The over-qualified third option who is also not a massive negative on the defensive end either. He has also been more durable than his former teammate, even with some injury issues of his own this season and last.
Perhaps the introduction of Jalen Green is going to change things, but right now the Suns' solution to cutting Beal loose has worked out in trusting Allen to produce. Perhaps trading him now when his value has never been higher will be the move, but it is a risky one. Allen has been sensational.