The Phoenix Suns had one of the most embarrassing runs in the 2024-25 NBA season. The team struggled all season while trying to make the Big 3 of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. However, there were too many problems for the Suns to fix. After the campaign, the management fired head coach Mike Budenholzer after one season into a five-year, $50 million contract.
Following his dismissal, there were reports that Beal never got along with Bud. According to reports, the former Milwaukee Bucks coach asked the three-time All-Star to play similarly to two-time champion Jrue Holiday. The two-way guard was the lead guard for the Bucks when the head coach led them to a championship in 2021.
TNT’s Chris Haynes revealed the dynamic between the two following the head coach’s firing.
“League sources told me, early in the season, coach Budenholzer met with Bradley Beal,” Haynes said. “He told Bradley Beal he wanted him to be the Jrue Holiday of this team. Holiday is a player who might become a Hall of Famer. But you’ve got to understand, when you’re talking to a guy of Bradley Beal’s caliber, it wasn’t well-received.”
Suns insider John Gambadoro doubled down on the report about Beal feeling disrespected by the coach.
I know about this story it is true – Beal told Bud ‘Don’t ever disrespect me like that. Don’t ever tell me to play like another player’,” Gambadoro said.
Beal’s second season with the Suns didn’t end well as he dealt with a ton of injuries, limiting him from being a constant contributor to the team. The star guard played 53 games, 38 came from being a bench player. He averaged 17 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists on 49.7 percent from the field.
Jrue Holiday responds to the comments made by the Phoenix Suns star
During the Bucks’ 2021 championship run against the Phoenix Suns, Holiday played a key role. Although it’s not offensive to be compared to the two-way point guard, Beal felt his head coach was treating him disrespectfully.
Amid all this, the current Boston Celtics guard gave his thoughts on the report involving his former head coach.
“I guess I have nothing to say because this is the first time I’m hearing about it. I think me and Brad are different players. And I also don’t know what he meant by saying that,” Holiday said via The Athletic’s Jay King.
“But we are different players. Brad is an elite scorer and he’s had somewhat of an off year. So I feel like just things are different. It’s tough to go from where he was, somewhere like in Washington, and then kind of experience the experience that he’s been going through.
Jrue Holiday on the Bradley Beal stuff here: "I guess I have nothing to say because this is the first time I’m hearing about it. I think me and Brad are different players. And I also don’t know what he meant by saying that.
"But we are different players. Brad is an elite scorer… https://t.co/piPxqe6mDz
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) April 15, 2025
However, Holiday doesn’t want any part of it.
“I just don’t know why people gotta bring me into it. Let me just do me, go out here and try to win as many rings as I can.”
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
