Unless a miracle happens, the Phoenix Suns‘ fate is sealed. For Phoenix, the final stretch of the season will be a slow burn. They’re not going to celebrate a finish line crossing, no high-fives or second chances at the playoffs. How does a team with so much talent, who has the likes of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal end up in this mess?

The Timberwolves’ superstar Anthony Edwards, turned the court into his own highlight reel on Sunday against the Suns. He dropped 44 points, dished out seven assists, and snagged five rebounds. But the most jaw-dropping moment wasn’t just his scoring explosion. With 1:35 remaining, Edwards soared for a dunk off a bounce from DiVincenzo. Out of nowhere, Bradley Beal pushed him mid-air. That shove sent Edwards crashing hard to the floor. The refs didn’t hesitate—they handed Beal a flagrant foul.

And now Beal has provided an explanation for his actions. For the Suns’ guard, it wasn’t about trying to hurt anyone—it was about making a statement.

“Man, it’s like scoring at the end of the game when you don’t have to,” Beal said. “Like, they could have just scored the ball, but we’re not about that. Turn us into a highlight reel like we’ve already seen enough highlights from the other night, and I was just making an aggressive play and just letting them know, like, we’re not, we’re not doing that, and he respected it.”

Beal made it clear there was no bad blood between him and Edwards. “It wasn’t, no. Um, he knows, he knows my intentions had never [been] to hurt him or hurt anybody in that situation. In a team perspective, it was just, it’s hot, though. They’re going to protect their guy. That’s how it’s supposed to go.”

When asked if the situation escalated because of something said on the court, Beal admitted there was some back-and-forth. “No, I mean, yes and no. Like it wasn’t too much into that, like they were trying to say, oh, you can’t do that. I’m, like, well, that’s fine, but you can’t just be thinking that I’m gonna just let that happen either. So we both have every right to feel, both sides [have] every right to feel and do what they do for sure.”

The play sparked heated reactions, but for Beal, it was just about setting the tone. Beal’s explanation may have settled the on-court tension, but it doesn’t change the bigger picture surrounding him.

Beal back in Washington? Yeah, that almost happened—at least, the Wizards gave it some serious thought at the trade deadline. But despite their interest, there was never any real sign that Beal was willing to waive his no-trade clause to make a reunion happen.

Surprisingly, Phoenix did have potential trade options, even with Beal’s hefty contract. As Marc Stein put it in his latest substack, “It would be a faulty characterization, with nearly a month’s worth of reflection, to say that absolutely no team out there was willing to take on Bradley Beal’s contract in one of those multiteam trade constructions that the Phoenix Suns tried and tried so hard to build… It turns out that the Washington Wizards, stunning as it sounds, gave real consideration to bringing Beal to the nation’s capital.”

In the end, the idea never gained traction. But imagine the storyline if it had—Beal right back where he started, just months after leaving.

Should the Suns trade Bradley Beal?

The Suns’ season has been a mess, and with just 21 games left, one thing is obvious—this roster won’t stay the same. Changes are coming.

After a 49-33 run last year, Phoenix has stumbled to 28-33. With one of the highest payrolls in NBA history, that’s just not cutting it. Moves could include parting ways with Mike Budenholzer or James Jones, trimming salary, or even making a blockbuster trade.

Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report believes the Suns would love to move the 3x All-Star’s max contract and no-trade clause. “From one onerous (and possibly untradable) contract to another, the Phoenix Suns have Bradley Beal on the books through 2026-27, when he has a $57.1 million player option… If the Suns could sell anyone on his outside shooting (he’s still hitting 40.7 percent of his threes) and secondary playmaking, they’d have to jump at the chance at freeing up that money.”

Marc Stein recently reported that Washington even considered bringing Beal back, though he reportedly had no interest in leaving Phoenix midseason.

Bailey also named Dallas, Miami, and OKC as potential suitors for Kevin Durant, with Royce O’Neale linked to Milwaukee. Around the league, the belief is Durant gets traded first. For now, though, the Suns focus on their next game—tomorrow night against the Clippers.