I wrote prior to the season starting that Bradley Beal was the Phoenix Suns’ “X factor.” I was right, but not in the way I hoped.
Beal’s acquisition, in a major trade that saw the Suns part ways with Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, and picks, was controversial immediately. Not because anyone doubted Beal’s talent, or because either Paul or Shamet were viewed as particularly important to the Suns' chances of winning the 2024 NBA Finals.
Rather, the controversy (rightly) was whether Beal, particularly, was the right big contract to take a swing at.