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The Phoenix Suns acquired Bradley Beal in June of 2023 in the hopes that he could be the missing piece of a championship team. The Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics employed the same logic when they each traded for Jrue Holiday, and it paid off for both franchises. That is where the similarities stop, though.
Beal and Holiday are starkly different players and are not seemingly equipped to occupy the same roles. Or, perhaps more precisely, the former does not possess the defensive prowess to emulate the latter. Nevertheless, the now-former Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer proposed such an idea to the 31-year-old guard. And it did not go over well.
“League sources told me early in the season Coach Budenholzer met with Bradley Beal, {and} he told Bradley Beal that he wanted him to be the Jrue Holiday of this team,” senior NBA insider Chris Haynes reported. “Holiday is a player who might become a Hall of Famer, but you got to 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. To ask him to shift his game, 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.”
On the Haynes Briefs Show, inside the Phoenix Suns’ turmoil and incidents that led to Mike Budenholzer losing the team and ultimately his job. Also a list of coaching candidates Suns are expected to look at. Subscribe. #haynesbriefs
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— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) April 14, 2025
Was the ex-Suns HC guilty of wishful thinking?
There is plenty to unpack in this report. First off, it appears that Budenholzer recognized an issue in the Suns' roster construction right away. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are already high-level scorers who require the ball to be in their hands. Beal is a 37.6 percent 3-point shooter for his career, but Phoenix did not desperately need another player who could drop 20-25 points on a given night. The squad required a solid defensive foundation, which he cannot provide.
But Jrue Holiday can, which might explain Budenholzer's suggestion. Moreover, Beal is also a capable playmaker, so maybe the two-time NBA Coach of the Year thought he could make a fine supplemental piece in the offense. While the gritty glue-guy label is an odd fit for Beal, it is obviously an essential role that championship teams fill.
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Now, if Budenholzer expected the three-time All-Star to carry the same amount of offensive responsibilities that Holiday has shouldered on a loaded Boston squad– 11.8 points per game in two seasons– then he should have expected a frigid reaction. However, if Beal considers himself to be an alpha to Holiday's beta, he needs to do some serious self-reflection.
Bradley Beal must adapt
Although the 34-year-old never came close to matching Beal's peak scoring averages, he is still a two-time All-Star who has impacted the game on both ends of the floor. Serving as the No. 1 guy on a Washington Wizards team that did not win a playoff series in his final six years with the franchise carries little weight when vying for an NBA title.
If Beal wants a shot at holding a Larry O'Brien Trophy, he must compromise. Regardless of where he is next season, the former top five draft pick will probably not be an ideal primary option. Though, that is not to place all the blame on him for a disastrous 36-46 Phoenix campaign.
The Suns did not mesh well on the court. Mike Budenholzer was saddled with plenty of culpability in that regard, considering he was fired after just one season as head coach. Beal was not the only one who was unable to connect with the 55-year-old. Devin Booker and others reportedly had similar issues.
All the organization can do now is hit the offseason hard. Durant is likely gone, and Beal could follow him out the door. But if No. 3 decides to leverage his no-trade clause once again, the new Suns HC might have some tough conversations ahead.
