The Phoenix Suns are showing life, with seven wins in 10 games to move a game above .500.
But uncertainty remains as the Suns open a three-game homestand against the lowly Washington Wizards on Saturday night.
Rumors continue to run rampant that Phoenix will try to acquire disgruntled Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat to mix him in with All-Stars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
The odd thing is the Suns supposedly already had a “Big Three” of Durant, Booker and Bradley Beal. Yet Beal has missed 42 regular-season games in 1 1/2 seasons with Phoenix.
Beal (left ankle sprain) missed Wednesday’s 108-84 victory over the host Brooklyn Nets but showed progress on Friday. He is listed as probable for Saturday’s game against his former team.
“He did practice (Friday),” Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said. “We’ve got to keep seeing how it feels. Hopefully, he can go tomorrow.”
Beal averaged more than 22 points per game in each of his last seven seasons with Washington. But since being shipped to the Suns, the average fell to 18.2 points in 53 games last season and 17.1 in 30 games (23 starts) this season.
Beal was recently demoted to the reserve unit and his name is floating as someone who could be traded before the Feb. 6 deadline.
He wouldn’t necessary be headed to Miami for Butler, but Beal would go elsewhere as the Heat and Suns likely will need another team or two involved to make a deal work.
Complicating the trade speculation is that Beal has a no-trade clause.
Meanwhile, Booker scored 32 points and Durant added 24 in the easy win over the Nets. Durant has scored at least 20 points in 20 consecutive games.
Nick Richards, recently acquired from the Charlotte Hornets, had 15 rebounds in 22 minutes. He is averaging 11 points and 10 rebounds in three games with the Suns.
“I think I’m doing pretty decent right now,” Richards said. “What are we — 2-1? I think that’s a good thing. We won more games than we lost (since the trade).”
The Wizards are 0-4 on a six-game road trip and have dropped 12 straight.
The skid is its second longest of the season behind a 16-game slide that included an 0-14 November and ended after two losses in December.
The Wizards opened their road trip with an eight-point loss to the Golden State Warriors before losing by 23 to both the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers and then falling by 17 to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.
In the 110-93 setback against the Clippers, Washington shot just 34 percent from the field and trailed by as many as 27 points. But the Wizards, who never led, did outscore Los Angeles 52-47 in the second half and that pleased coach Brian Keefe.
“We didn’t shoot the ball as well as we liked,” Keefe said after his club dropped to 1-19 on the road. “I thought the defense made a big jump in the second half and that’s a big area of focus for us right now.”
Jordan Poole had 24 points and nine assists but was just 6-of-19 shooting. Bilal Coulibaly had 15 points and three steals but missed six of his seven 3-point attempts.
The 20-year-old Coulibaly has scored in double digits in six of the last seven games. He said the Wizards have to do something about their constant slow starts.
“Everybody has to be locked in and come with a lot of energy, like we usually have been doing in the fourth quarter, late third quarter,” Coulibaly said.
Phoenix has won the past three meetings, including a 130-123 road win on Jan. 16. Booker scored 37 points to pace the Suns.
–Field Level Media
