A day after Charles Barkley said the Phoenix Suns “stink,” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith called them “soft” based on what the “NBA people” are saying as he put it. A team with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal that went into the season with championship aspirations shouldn’t have a losing record and be 12 th in the West even with a number of injuries.

Phoenix Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer is reportedly moving Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkić to the bench starting with their matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday.

Recently, Stephen A. Smith took to ESPN to give a harsh criticism of Phoenix, as well as some friendly advice on why he thinks they should pursue Jimmy Butler via trade.

“While the Miami Heat continues to listen to trade offers for six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler, his Heat tenure isn’t officially over yet,” Chiang reported. “According to a source close to the situation, Butler will be expected to rejoin the Heat and play in games if he’s still on the roster at the end of his team-issued seven-game suspension.”

PHOENIX -- Amid a flurry of trade rumors surrounding his name, Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal finally broke his silence. When asked if his recent benching was due to a potential move, Beal offered the following: "If so, I need to be addressed because I hold the cards. Until I'm addressed and somebody says something different, I'll be a Sun."

Bradley Beal came off the bench Monday for the first time since his fourth NBA season. He's been linked to a Jimmy Butler trade.

In the middle of losing 7 of 8 games, Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer benched star Bradley Beal and center Jusuf Nurkic. Both players are struggling, and their numbers are way down this season. This isn’t a day-to-day move — it’s permanent.

The Miami Heat's star forward, Jimmy Butler, is expected to be moved soon, but some teams have been informed not to trade for him.

Butler has seen his role diminish greatly this season. That has played a huge role as to why Jimmy Buckets is looking for a new place to play. There is some leverage working in Butler's favor here too.