Bradley Beal Reportedly Upset by Budenholzer Suggesting to Play Like Jrue Holiday

The seeds of discontent between Bradley Beal and Mike Budenholzer were planted earlier in the season for the Phoenix Suns.

Per NBA insider Chris Haynes (starts at the 3:00 mark), Beal was upset at one point when Budenholzer told the three-time All-Star he "wanted him to be the Jrue Holiday" for the Suns.

Haynes noted the message "was not well received" by Beal. It's a strange piece of advice for Budenholzer to offer because Holiday is such a different style of player than Beal.

Budenholzer coached Holiday for three seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks from 2020-21 to 2022-23. He finished in the top eight of Defensive Player of the Year voting all three seasons and made the All-Star team in 2022-23.

Holiday's best trait is as a perimeter defender. He has earned plaudits from his fellow players for years because of his tenacity on that end of the court.

Beal made the All-Star team three times during his peak years by being a scorer. He averaged more than 20 points per game in seven consecutive seasons from 2016-17 to 2022-23, including back-to-back years with at least 30 points per game.

When the Suns originally acquired Beal from the Washington Wizards in June 2023, it seemed to be with the idea of giving them an unstoppable offensive trio alongside Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.

Things haven't worked out as planned for the Suns. Beal has struggled to stay healthy, appearing in 111 games over the past two seasons. He was also moved to the bench for a six-week stretch in January and February in an attempt to give the reserve unit some offensive punch.

Beal was eventually moved back to the starting lineup for his final 15 games of the season, but by that point, things were off the rails in Phoenix. The team finished with a 36-46 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 season.

Budenholzer's approach with the entire team fell flat, resulting in him being fired on Monday after one season. Beal's status with the organization will be a key topic this offseason, though trading him could prove difficult with more than $110 million remaining on his contract if he exercises his 2026-27 player option that also includes a full no-trade clause.