As he left the arena Thursday night, Beal didn’t sound like someone ready to give in. His role has changed. He has not.

Before the game against the Hawks, the Suns had a pre-game huddle like any other team would, and typically all the players join in. Beal didn't, though, avoiding the team huddle. It seems the locker room chemistry is only getting worse, and having a star like Beal on the bench will certainly make that happen.

It would have been easy to assume the Phoenix Suns' decision to bench Bradley Beal was done in part to motivate him to waive his no-trade clause ahead of