Grass May Not Be Greener for Former Wizards Star

At the end of each day, everyone wants to live life without having any regrets. Everyone also wants to have self-assurance that they have made the best decision they could make. As imperfect humans, we are always doubting ourselves, wondering if we should have made another decision. In the case of the Washington Wizards, they can rest assured they made the right decision with a player they relied on tremendously.

Bradley Beal has made quite a career for himself in the NBA with the Washington Wizards. Beal became one of the best scorers in the Washington Wizard franchise history. He has done so as he leads the franchise in three-pointers made and attempted. Beal is a natural scorer from all areas on the court. That has always been his game.

As he has been dealt to the Phoenix Suns, Beal may not have liked the cards he has been dealt there. Playing alongside a future NBA Hall of Famer in Kevin Durant and an electric scorer in Devin Booker, there is no question Beal would have to defer to them. Beal would even have to change his game to make it work there.

Beal may have let his ego get the best of him. Things haven't worked out for Beal with the Suns. They have missed the NBA Playoffs this season despite having so much talent on their team, and the chemistry was a huge miss this season. We have seen Beal start at Point Guard, Shooting Guard, and even come off the bench as a sixth man. The attempts to maximize his talent have come up short.

BREAKING: The Phoenix Suns have fired head coach Mike Budenholzer after finishing in 11th place with a 36-46 record in his one season, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/ocySLmWDQI
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 14, 2025

The Suns have struggled so much, they ended up firing their Head Coach, Mike Budenholzer. When Budenholzer asked Beal to play like former NBA champion Jrue Holiday, Beal said, "Don't ever disrespect me like that. Don't ever tell me to play like another player." No doubt, Beal took offense at the coaching of his former coach and even displayed a bit of an ego problem.

Bradley Beal reportedly had an issue with Mike Budenholzer telling him to play like Jrue Holiday, per @Gambo987 & @ChrisBHaynes

"Don't ever disrespect me like that. Don't ever tell me to play like another player" 😳 pic.twitter.com/Bd20yMRmu1
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 15, 2025

As the Wizards are constructed with their current rebuild, there aren't any ego problems on their team. Jordan Poole is a former NBA champion and should be an NBA All-Star. However, he continues to be a player who doesn't appear to have an ego. The Wizards should feel good that they traded Beal before he caused a disturbance to their team.

Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!