It's no secret in NBA circles that Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams and center Deandre Ayton don't necessarily see eye-to-eye. Williams memorably benched Ayton during the Suns' Game 7 meltdown against the Dallas Mavericks last postseason, leading to rumors of a potential exit for the number one pick of the 2018 NBA Draft. Nonetheless, everything seems to be fine between the two. Perhaps until tonight.

During the Suns' 113-110 loss to the Washington Wizards, Monty Williams and Deandre Ayton got into a heated argument on the bench that's sure to be a cause of concern for a relationship that hasn't exactly been the smoothest.

Per Twitter user Goober2221, via ClutchPoints:

The Suns may have lost, but it's not as if Deandre Ayton was mainly at fault. In fact, Ayton had 30 points, doing his best to lead the shorthanded Suns to victory. However, it seems as if Ayton did something to upset the Suns, as even he and Mikal Bridges exchanged some barbs that prompted a cheery response from Bradley Beal.

Still, it's not quite clear what the two were bickering about on the Suns bench. Perhaps Williams and the rest of the Suns' frustrations from getting punked by the struggling Wizards, of all teams, are just bubbling over.

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Nevertheless, it's not a good sign that Williams and Ayton, whose “beef” has mostly been defined by the cold treatment and internal turmoil, are taking their frustrations out on each other for everyone to see.

Back in the offseason, Deandre Ayton almost left the Suns in free agency. Ayton signed an offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers, only for the Suns to match. Ayton then revealed that he and his coach didn't talk for months following their disastrous playoff exit, stoking the fire of their purported beef even more.

During preseason, however, Ayton said that his relationship with Williams was “back to normal” and that “nothing has changed”. We shall see if that remains to be the case, or if this argument proves to be the start of something even more catastrophic.