NBA personality Stephen A. Smith of ESPN is worried about Phoenix Suns shooting guard Bradley Beal, who has yet to play this season due to a back injury.
Beal hasn’t been able to stay healthy over the past few seasons. After playing in 82 games in 2017-18 and 2018-19, Beal played in only 207 games from 2019-20 to 2022-23.
According to Suns beat reporter Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, Beal’s back is a concern and there’s no timetable for his return. Phoenix acquired Beal from the Washington Wizards this past offseason in a blockbuster trade.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Bradley Beal, Phoenix Suns Updates
Beal, who waived his no-trade clause with the Wizards to get traded to the Suns, averaged 23.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists last season in 50 games. A three-time All-Star, Beal has career averages of 22.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists. The Florida product waived his no-trade clause to land with the Suns after the Miami Heat told him they couldn’t acquire him.
“I’m like, ‘OK, what’s Miami doing? Dragging feet.’ And eventually it came to a point to where Miami said they just can’t do it,” Beal wrote in a diary for Andscape. “But it was an eye-opener for sure. And that’s why I said I went into everything kind of open-minded and with an open slate. And out of nowhere here comes a dark horse in Phoenix and their aggressiveness pushed me over the top.”
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Bradley Beal, Phoenix Suns Updates
The Suns have started the season 2-2. Beal is making $46.7 million this season. It’s going to be fascinating to see when he makes his Phoenix debut.
It sounds like the Suns are playing it safe with Beal since it’s a long season, but Smith is concerned.
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