Suns' laughable Bradley Beal debacle secretly spells major promise for Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks are in a strange position right now considering they've lost four games in a row with Luka Doncic sidelined due to a calf strain that he suffered on Christmas Day, and they can't seem to get on track recently due to plenty of external factors.

The illness and injuries keep rolling in, and Mavs fans were dealt unexpected news on Sunday when Kyrie Irving was ruled out for Monday night's game against the Memphis Grizzlies with a lumbar back sprain, and Dallas' best shot at getting their first win since their intense win over the Phoenix Suns on December 27.

This gutsy win over the Suns included a scuffle involving P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall, and Jusuf Nurkic with all three players being suspended, and both teams have been in interesting positions since this fight happened. They've both quietly slid down the Western Conference standings lately, and the Suns look like they will be in some deep water as the trade deadline approaches.

Suns benching Beal opens a can of worms that Mavericks fans will love

The Suns have lost four games in a row, just like the Mavs, and this losing streak has come with some "tension" in the locker room which includes players questioning their roles and being "frustrated with how they're being used." According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, Bradley Beal and Nurkic are expected to be removed from the starting lineup beginning tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers for Ryan Dunn and Mason Plumlee to start in their place.

This is an extremely questionable, and potentially cryptic move by Phoenix when it comes to Beal moving to the bench, and it quietly spells great news for the Mavs moving forward. The Suns moving their 50 million-dollar man to the bench is an absolute joke to begin with considering what they gave up to get him in the summer of 2023, but it could be pointing to a much bigger picture of something going on in Phoenix.

This bold move could be the Suns realizing that their plan of going all in and having three superstar players lead the team isn't going to work, and it could also be an effort by the Suns to get Beal to waive his no-trade clause. If the Suns were looking to trade Beal, it would make sense to trade him to the Miami Heat in a trade for Jimmy Butler as they have already been a rumored destination on his radar, and this trade could work even more in Dallas' favor.

While it looks like Butler would be an upgrade over Beal considering how much Beal has struggled recently, the Suns making a trade for Butler would put them in a tough position this summer. With Butler expected to opt out of his contract this offseason and become a free agent, this would put the Suns at a huge risk of losing him for nothing in free agency (if they were to make a trade for him this season).

Phoenix trading for Butler and losing him for nothing in the offseason would be amazing for Dallas as the Suns would be right back to square one when it comes to building their team, and it would be a sign that their recent project of trading all of their draft capital for star players was an absolute failure.

The Suns don't own a first-round pick until 2031, and with the way their roster is constructed, it may be hard for them to land marquee free agents moving forward to pair with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Phoenix crashing and burning sometime soon would be massive for Dallas, as there would be one less team they would have to worry about to fulfill their Finals dreams.

On the other hand, the Mavericks are in a great spot when it comes to the way their team is built as Nico Harrison has surrounded Doncic and Irving with role players who compliment their games. He hasn't fallen into the trap of going all in and trading for a third superstar, and it doesn't seem like that is going to change this year with the reports already shutting down the Butler to Dallas rumors.

It seems like any move the Mavs make ahead of the trade deadline will be marginal, and that is the exact type of move they need. Dallas already has the pieces they need to win a championship as they made the NBA Finals last season, and one more trade for another solidified role player could be precisely what they need to compete with the top contenders in the league once again.

The Mavericks-Suns rivalry games will likely always continue as long as Booker and Doncic lead their respective teams, and we could be in for some more drama during the second half of the season if Phoenix trades for Butler. This would add some fuel to the fire considering that the Mavs seem to be staying far away from a Butler trade despite his interest in becoming a Maverick, and their next matchup on March 9 will be interesting, to say the least.