The Bradley Beal situation may be going from bad to worse for the Phoenix Suns.
Shams Charania of The Athletic shared a troubling report on Monday about Beal’s injury. Charania writes that the three-time All-Star guard Beal, who has been battling a lower back strain since training camp, is actually going through an “assortment of issues” causing him discomfort and tightness in his back. Beal is reportedly even dealing with nerve irritation going from his back all the way down to his legs.
As a result of his injury, Beal has been limited to just three games played so far with the Suns. His play was noticeably affected in those games as well as he was averaging 17.3 points a game on a career-low 39.1 percent shooting.
Phoenix recently announced that Beal is set to miss several more weeks with the back issue. With nerve problems now reported to be in the mix as well, Beal might be in danger of an even lengthier spell on the sidelines.
The Suns went all-in on a core of Beal, Devin Booker, and Kevin Durant this season in pursuit of an NBA title. But an extended absence from Beal might be the costliest one of all since he is making roughly $50 million per year through 2027 and has sent Phoenix’s luxury tax bill into the mesophere.
To an extent though, the Suns had to have known what they were getting into. Even towards the tail end of his time with the Washington Wizards, Beal was already showing signs of becoming injury-prone (missing 74 total games over the previous two NBA seasons combined). Now Beal appears to be dealing with his most worrisome injury yet, leaving Phoenix holding the bag on what, for all intents and purposes right now, is a damaged asset.
