Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal and his agent have had no talks about waiving his no-trade clause and his only focus is helping the team climb out of its recent slump, agent Mark Bartelstein told ESPN.
The Suns have been linked to Jimmy Butler after the Miami Heat suspended him and announced they would seek trade options last week. That led to speculation and reports that Beal could be involved.
The situation drew more attention Monday when Suns coach Mike Budenholzer, in an unexpected change, decided to move Beal to the bench to jump start the team after it had lost 17 of its last 24 games.
"There have been no discussions about trades with the Suns or any other team," Bartelstein said. "Bradley's total focus is on helping the Suns turn things around."
Beal said after Monday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers, his first game in a reserve role in nine years, that he had not heard anything from the team about a trade, adding "I hold the cards" if the Suns were to seek one.
Bartelstein said Beal, who has two years and $110 million left on his contract after this season, would never give up the no-trade clause he got when he signed a five-year, $251 million contract with the Washington Wizards in 2022.
Because of trade restrictions for being a "second apron" team due to their $216 million payroll, the Suns would have no functional way to acquire Butler unless they use Beal as part of the trade.
Bartelstein did not rule out possibly waiving the clause for an approved deal, as Beal did in 2023 when he was traded to the Suns, if a "perfect" situation came up. But that action is not currently under consideration, Bartelstein reiterated.
Beal played 31 minutes off the bench Tuesday, scoring 10 points with five assists in a 115-104 loss in Charlotte to drop the Suns to 16-19 on the season. He scored 25 points off the bench Monday in the win in Philadelphia. He is averaging 17.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game this season.
Beal and the Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James are the only players in the NBA with no-trade clauses in their contracts currently.
