NBA Rumors: Suns' Bradley Beal 'On Course' to Return from Back Injury vs. Warriors

Bradley Beal could be making his return soon after missing about a month of basketball with a lower back strain.

Per the Arizona Republic's Duane Rankin, Beal plans to play on Tuesday against the Golden State Warriors, barring any setbacks. Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic reported similar news:

The Phoenix Suns' shooting guard, who was traded from the Washington Wizards in June, has not suited up for his new team since Nov. 12.

Beal missed the first seven games of the season with a lower back strain, and that same injury has kept him out the past 15 games.

In his few games played this season, Beal has averaged 17.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

The Suns are 12-10 on the season, currently sitting in seventh place in the Western Conference.

After spending his first 11 seasons with the Wizards, Beal teamed up with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker in Phoenix over the offseason in a trade that involved Chris Paul, a handful of role players and several draft picks.

Beal has dealt with a plethora of injuries over the past few seasons, playing just 50 games last season and 40 games in the 2021-22 season.

In the last season that he played 60 or more games in the 2020-21 season, Beal averaged 31.3 points per game, finishing second in scoring behind Steph Curry. Beal emerged as one of the top scorers in the NBA a few seasons ago, but has since seen his scoring decline. Last season, he averaged 23.2 points per game.

Beal will likely be in less of a scoring role with his new team, playing alongside two of the league's premier scorers in Durant and Booker.

The Suns are looking to get back to the NBA Finals this season with a much different team than the 2021 Western Conference Championship-winning team that was anchored by Paul and Booker.

The Suns have had mixed results early this season, but perhaps getting Beal back in the lineup and getting the Suns big three more reps together will yield positive results.