Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic will come off the bench moving forward

The Phoenix Suns are attempting to salvage their season by changing up their rotations. Will it work? Will it make everyone happy?

The Phoenix Suns are running out of options, and as they fight to pull out of their current tailspin, it’s clear that changes must be made.

In an ideal world, the Suns could trade both Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic to strengthen the core around Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. The championship window with Booker and Durant playing at their peak is small, and so far, the organization has fumbled the supporting cast around them. But we don’t live in an ideal world. Beal’s no-trade clause and a league showing no interest in Nurkic have left the Suns trapped in a mess of their own making.

Something has to give. This team isn’t winning. They’ve dropped four straight games and struggle to defeat teams with losing records, sitting at a mediocre 5–5 against sub-.500 opponents.

If trades aren’t an option, then it’s time to bench them. And it appears that is what the Suns are doing.

Senior NBA insider Chris Haynes reported last night that the Suns will do just that: have Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic come off the bench.

“Sources relayed to me that Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic will be removed from the start lineup starting Monday at Philadelphia and in their place will be starting rookie Ryan Dunn and Mason Plumlee,” Haynes reports. “Now, there is also tension in that locker room. I’m told players are certain players are unsure of their roles and frustrated with how they’re being used and the coaching staff they’re still trying to figure things out. So, this situation will be something to monitor moving forward. But as of right now, Bradley Beal move to the bench. Mason Plumlee and Ryan Dunn starters.”

This is significant news. The Suns now have a combined $68.3 million in payroll sitting outside the starting lineup. And honestly? I’m fine with it. In fact, I’ve been advocating for this move, particularly regarding Bradley Beal, for a while. The money doesn’t concern me. It’s irrelevant if the lineup adjustments lead to better results.

Looking at the advanced metrics, having Beal come off the bench makes sense. His performance improves alongside the second unit, and the reasons are clear. When Beal and Booker share the court, one of them is forced out of their natural position. Both are shooting guards, so one ends up playing out of place, either at small forward or point guard. This misalignment has led to underwhelming performances whenever they’re on the floor together this season.

But when you look at Beal’s performance with second-team unit members, his numbers are better. They’re not great to begin with, but better with members of the second team. Looking at Beal two-man lineups with his fellow starters:

• Beal/Tyus Jones: -125
• Beal/Devin Booker: -92
• Beal/Kevin Durant: -75
• Beal/JUsuf Nurkic: -53

And now with members of the bench unit:

• Beal/Monte Morris: +9
• Beal/Ryan Dunn: 0
• Beal/Grayson Allen: -14
• Beal/Josh Okogie: -14
• Beal/Oso Ighodaro: -19
• Beal/Mason Plumlee: -24
• Beal/Royce O’Neale: -60

For the season, Beal is a team-worst -137.

While I may not care about the financial implications of benching Beal, that doesn’t mean he won’t. One of the key arguments against moving him to the bench has always been the potential for Beal to resist such a role. And while I’ve consistently maintained that it’s not about who starts but who finishes, there’s no denying the possibility that Beal might not take kindly to being relegated to the second unit.

The Phoenix Suns have virtually no leverage when it comes to Bradley Beal, in almost any scenario. His no-trade clause is a conversation killer, effectively shutting down any potential deal before it even starts. Why bother engaging with another team about a trade when Beal has the final say? This contractual stranglehold is what makes the Bradley Beal situation so frustrating.

The only leverage the Suns hold is whether or not they choose to start him. In basketball, ego matters, and that ego might push Beal to waive his no-trade clause if he feels his role or minutes are diminished. He’s a competitive player, one of the few Suns this season to consistently show passion. That competitive fire could become the key to nudging him toward flexibility.

Leveraging that drive might be the Suns’ last tool in the toolbox, using his willingness to compete against him. It’s not the most culturally sound move, but at this point, it might be their only move.

Then there’s Jusuf Nurkic, your $18.1 million-a-year center, now headed to the bench. Again, money doesn’t matter.

It’s an interesting move, given his struggles this season. Nurkic has posted a -53 plus-minus and seems to be pressing, with his 8.8 points per game marking his lowest output since his sophomore season in 2015-16. While his rebounding remains steady at 9.5 per game, his field goal percentage of 45.2% ranks just 25th among NBA starting centers who’ve played at least 20 games.

Among fans, opinions on Nurkic are sharply divided. While I see a fundamentally sound player, many view him as someone who stumbles and fumbles his way through games, failing to meet the expectations of his role.

What’s unfortunate is that his backup, Mason Plumlee, isn’t much better. Sure, Plumlee might dribble in transition more smoothly, but that’s hardly a solution. This move by the organization feels like another power play, perhaps an attempt to ignite Nurkic’s desire to leave. But what’s the long-term strategy here?

If Nurkic publicly expresses a desire to leave, it only devalues the asset further. And that’s not even the main problem. This wouldn’t be an Eric Bledsoe situation. This would be Nurkic wanting out when no one else wants him, leaving the Suns stuck.

The team already tested the trade market over the summer and again early this season before announcing they weren’t planning to move on from him. At this point, it’s less about the return and more about clearing his contract off the books. Trading Nurkic for a minimum-contract player would save Phoenix approximately $16 million in payroll. However, even that wouldn’t get the team under the second apron.

If the Suns are putting pressure on Nurkic to push for an exit, it still circles back to the same problem: no one is willing to take him. So, again, what’s the point?

Ultimately, this might not be about the Suns improving their situation from an asset standpoint but about fostering better chemistry on the court. Right now, this team is fractured. The starting five isn’t meshing, and forcing Booker and Beal to play out of position clearly isn’t the solution.

Maybe this isn’t an effort to pressure Beal into waiving his no-trade clause or to push Nurkic toward demanding a trade. Perhaps it’s simply a last-ditch attempt to salvage this experiment. The goal could be to improve the team’s performance with the pieces they have. To allow Beal and Nurkic to thrive as members of the second unit, provided they’re willing to embrace the role.

What will be fascinating to watch is how the Suns manage their rotations moving forward and, more importantly, who their closing five will be. Because at the end of the day, that’s what really matters. Who can you trust when the game hangs in the balance?

As we wait to see how this all plays out, things feel unstable in Phoenix, and it’s not just the 15-18 record. The team takes the court tonight in Philadelphia, and it promises to be an intriguing matchup given the new Phoenix rotations.