When will Bradley Beal return? Adrian Wojnarowski reveals latest update about Suns' plans for 3x NBA All-Star

Three-time NBA All-Star Bradley Beal is not expected to play for the Phoenix Suns in the next few weeks as he continues to deal with the lower back strain that has hounded him early this season. NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski confirmed the development.

Speaking on ESPN’s NBA Countdown, Wojnarowski shared that the Suns have decided to give the 30-year-old player the needed time to fully recover from his injury so as not to prolong it. He said:

“The Suns have decided, working with their doctors, that they are gonna take at least three weeks to allow Bradley Beal to rehabilitate this lower back strain that has dogged him really throughout this season. He’s miss eight of their 11 games and what the Suns don’t want to do anymore is have this day to day with Bradley Beal, where he feels better in some days and tries to play then feels worse.”

“They want to give him a period of time to rest now. Again rehab that back. But it’s certainly a concern for this team. They will reevaluate him in three weeks, But we’re not close to seeing this Big 3 in Phoenix all on the court together,” Wojnarowski added.

Bradley Beal came to the Suns in the offseason in a deal involving Chris Paul and other assets going to the Washington Wizards. He was expected to form a ‘Big 3’ in Phoenix with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.

Unfortunately, the team has yet to fully see the ‘Big 3’ effect as Beal struggles with the back injury he sustained before the season’s start. In the three games he has played so far, he has averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 29 minutes.

The Suns are currently sporting a 5-6 record, third in the Pacific Division.

Stephen A. Smith concerned over Bradley Beal missing tons of Suns games

Like many Phoenix Suns fans, sports analyst Stephen A. Smith is concerned over Bradley Beal’s absence in the majority of the games of the team. He underscored that it has become a pattern for the player at this stage of his career.

In a recent episode of ESPN’s First Take, Smith expressed concern for Beal and the Suns, who were expecting a lot when they acquired the three-time All-Star from the Washington Wizards in the offseason.

He said:

"I'm a big Bradley Beal fan, but since 2019, he's missed about 105 of the last 312 games. ... I'm starting to get really, really concerned. I need to see this guy on the court."

Beal has only played in three of the Suns’ 11 games this season. He is expected to miss more time as Phoenix has decided to give him the needed time to fully heal from his injury.

In his final year for the Wizards last season, Beal averaged 23.2 ppg, 5.4 apg and 3.9 rpg in 50 games.