James Jones has quietly been deleted. But Josh Bartelstein has Beal Deal blood on his hands too.
We stand on the edge of what may become the worst financial decision in Phoenix Suns history. Buying out Bradley Beal, no matter the final figure, isn’t just a transaction. It’s an admission. An admission of defeat. An admission of mismanagement. An admission that the franchise got it wrong.
And if that’s what it takes to move forward, so be it.
But every year for the next five, we’ll stare at the dead cap hit on the books with a mix of frustration and regret. Because it will forever symbolize the summer of 2023, when the Suns chased a dream that never made sense.
Why bring in a player whose game overlaps with your franchise cornerstone? Why take on a fragile body with a history of injuries? Why accept a contract shackled with a no-trade clause that removes all leverage?
The decision to trade for Bradley Beal stands as the most ill-conceived move in the franchise’s 58-year history. It wasn’t a reaction to injury. It wasn’t a panic hire. This wasn’t forced. Beal had eyes for Phoenix, and the Suns fell for it.
And the Suns are about to double down on that decision, using words like “alignment” and “culture” as a scapegoat.
One of the buzzwords echoing through the halls of the Phoenix Suns front office this offseason is “accountability”. It’s been tossed around frequently, aimed at players, aimed at coaches. And in some cases, like that of former head coach Mike Budenholzer, it’s warranted. His inability to manage relationships and move beyond petty grudges likely cost Phoenix its starting center last season.
But what’s noticeably absent in this accountability tour is any directed at the front office itself.
You control your own destiny, both in business and in your personal life. Don’t play the blame game, take accountability. When you realize you completely control your own success, and take full accountability for it, you’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish. pic.twitter.com/Bpi6ADJxPc
— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) November 7, 2018
James Jones has quietly faded into the background. Josh Bartelstein still walks the halls as CEO. Yet it’s their responsibility, especially the GM and CEO, to put the coach and players in a position to succeed. Sometimes that plan doesn’t work. Most times, actually, it doesn’t. But when there’s a clear vision, when outcomes are justifiable, missteps can be understood. When there’s no evidence of financial malpractice, miscalculations can be forgiven.
But this? This Bradley Beal buyout? This is financial malpractice. And accountability can’t be optional anymore.
Josh Bartelstein should not remain the CEO of this organization. He came over from the Detroit Pistons, a team that has lived at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. His track record didn’t scream competence. And when you layer in the fact that his father, Mark Bartelstein, is Bradley Beal’s agent, it’s not just a red flag. It’s repulsive.
Mark did what any good agent would: he worked to get his client everything he wanted. And he succeeded. His son, overseeing the very organization involved in the transaction, never stepped in. Never said no. Never raised the questions that needed asking.
And now, the Phoenix Suns will be paying for that decision for the next five years.
Bartelstein shouldn’t be here for that stretch. He shouldn’t be here tomorrow. Because if the organization truly believes in accountability, it’s time to prove it.
At the end of the day, this all falls on Mat Ishbia’s desk.
He’s the owner. He’s the one who hired Josh Bartelstein. And while it’s unlikely Bartelstein will be fired, let’s be honest, I don’t blame Ishbia for taking a swing. I don’t blame him for trying to hit a home run, for trying to elevate this franchise into title contention. That kind of boldness is what fans dream of in an owner.
But he trusted the wrong people to make the right decisions. And that trust has blown up in spectacular, multimillion-dollar fashion.
The Suns are further from a championship today than they were when Bartelstein first began conducting business with his father chasing redundant, injury-prone shooting guards. The fallout from the Bradley Beal disaster will linger for years. Unless there’s some grand-slam Hail Mary waiting in the wings — a trade or signing that vaults this team into top-five contention in the West — there’s simply no justification for keeping Bartelstein around.
Perhaps this borders on journalistic malpractice. I lack insider sources to confirm or deny the inner workings of the Bradley Beal deal. What I have is the perspective of a fan who has watched their team completely and utterly fumble the Devin Booker and Kevin Durant window, to the point where Durant was traded away for dimes on the dollar. This is my assumption, nothing more.
But if there is even a shred of truth to Josh Bartelstein’s involvement in this mess, then accountability must be demanded and exercised.
This organization will recover. Eventually. It may take half a decade to dig out of the financial crater this deal created, but it will happen. The fans will still be here, watching, hoping, believing. That’s what we do.
Josh can watch too. Just not from the front office. Not here. Not anymore.
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