Does subtle jab at Suns from Bradley Beal's agent portend disappointment in L.A.?

Bradley Beal officially became a free agent on July 16. He reportedly forfeited $13.9 million of future salary to help facilitate his exit from the Phoenix Suns. 

The three-time All-Star joined the Suns in 2023. His addition was supposed to cement Phoenix's ability to contend for a championship. His ball handling, playmaking and scoring made him the ideal third star alongside Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, at least on paper. However, in reality, the Suns had too many mouths to feed. 

Shortly after his buyout was announced, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Beal intended to sign a two-year contract with the L.A. Clippers worth $11 million. 

When speaking to Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, Beal's agent, Mark Bartelstein, took a thinly-veiled shot at the Suns for how his client was managed during his tenure with the franchise. 

"Brad is going to do whatever it takes to win," Bartelstein said. "...He is always going to play the right way. He’s always going to be selfless. But if you have Brad Beal on your team, you have to let him be Brad Beal. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense and you’re not getting the best version of him.”

While Bartelstein has a point, his timing is off. This isn't a comment he should be making to the media. Instead, it's a heads-up he should have been giving his client before he agreed to team up with the Suns two seasons ago. Clearly, Beal understood he was going to be a tertiary option. He wasn't going to a team that had Durant and Booker to lead the offense. 

Furthermore, it's not outside the realm of possibility that Beal finds himself in a similar situation when he arrives in Los Angeles. Kawhi Leonard and James Harden are the first and second options within Ty Lue's rotation. Beal will need to "get in where he fits in." 

"The big part of the problem is that Brad got away from his identity and who he is as a player," Bartelstein said. "Things didn't mesh there the way they would hope. Brad made a lot of sacrifices in his individual game with all good intentions to help the team be successful."

Bartelstein needs to realize that his client is joining a very similar situation. The Clippers coaching staff will have their ideas on how to get the best out of him. However, if Beal struggles to acclimate to another stacked roster, he may need to accept his chances of winning a championship are over. 

After all, even the best teams in the league have stars sacrificing aspects of their game for the good of the team.