NBA Trade Rumors: Bradley Beal's agent rubbishes 'nonsense' reports around client with $50,203,930 superstar's future up in the air

The Phoenix Suns hired Mike Budenholzer in May to take the team to new heights. However, that hasn't been the case, as they are 11th in the Western Conference.

Their strong start to the season is in the rearview mirror. Budenholzer tried to shake things up by demoting Bradley Beal to the second unit and it didn't take long before that led to some trade speculation, especially since the Suns are believed to be Jimmy Butler's preferred trade destination.

However, Sam Amick of The Athletic reported on Wednesday that Beal's agent, Mark Bartelstein, said that nothing is going on.

"As for the status of Butler trade talks, the agent for Suns guard Bradley Beal, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, reiterated to The Athletic on Tuesday that nothing is brewing between the Heat and Phoenix that involves his longtime client," Amick wrote. "Bartelstein, whose son, Josh, is the Suns’ chief executive officer, said there has been no discussion about Beal waiving the no-trade clause that would, for all intents and purposes, be a necessary part of any Butler-to-Phoenix deal."

The agent shut down rumors about Beal being on the trade block despite his demotion to the Suns' bench.

“Brad’s complete focus is on helping the Suns win, and getting their season turned around,” Bartelstein said, via The Athletic. “Everything else put out there is nonsense.”

Bradley Beal has all the leverage in this situation

The Washington Wizards gave Beal a no-trade clause in his big contract extension in 2022. Beal was able to handpick his next team, preventing the Wizards from getting the best trade package for his services. He could do the same to the Suns.

Phoenix cannot trade Beal without his approval. It was already a Herculean task to find someone who could and would absorb his big contract, but that team should also be appealing to Beal.

The list of potential suitors continues to shrink by the day. The Suns will most likely need to find a third team to enter trade talks to find a way to get Butler to Phoenix.

Beal still has two years left in his contract and will make $53 million next season, so it'll be interesting to see how the Suns will address the situation.