A story has emerged in the wake of Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer’s firing, involving him and guard Bradley Beal.
Haynes recently revealed that Budenholzer wanted Beal to play a role similar to Celtics guard Jrue Holiday—a defense specialist and role player—and safe to say Beal didn’t like it one bit.
“Earlier in the season, Coach Budenholzer met with Bradley Beal, and told Bradley Beal, he wanted him to be the Jrue Holiday of this team,” Haynes said on Haynes Briefs. “Holiday is a player who might become a Hall of Famer. But you gotta understand, when you’re talking to a guy of Bradley Beal’s caliber, it wasn’t well-received.
“You know the type of player Bradley Beal is. You know how he’s made a name for himself in this league, playing his way. So asking him to shift his game, alter it and to say Jrue Holiday on top of that, somebody who Coach Budenholzer has won a championship with in Milwaukee. It wasn’t well-received the way it was explained to me.”
Suns insider John Gambadoro even went as far to say that the player felt “disrespected” by the comments from his head coach.
“I know about this story it is true – Beal told Bud ‘Don’t ever disrespect me like that. Don’t ever tell me to play like another player,’” Gambadoro wrote on X.
Just days earlier, Gambadoro said there is “zero percent chance” Beal remains with Phoenix next season.
However, rumors surrounding Kevin Durant’s future are also rife as he looks to be finding a new team.
The only bright spark the Suns have is Devin Booker, who is eligible to sign a two-year, $149.8 million extension this offseason, Brian Windhorst reports.
Booker is the only untouchable player in the team, by all reports.
