Bradley Beal says in SLAM interview he plans return to 'All-Star level' with Phoenix Suns

After his past two injury-plagued years, Bradley Beal believes his NBA veteran career is back for the first time with the Phoenix Suns for the upcoming 2023-24 season.

The three-time All-Star said in the latest SLAM Magazine cover story about him released on Wednesday that he plans on returning to "being one of the best two-way players in the league." Beal added that he wants to "get back to my All-Star level" with Phoenix's new highly talented foursome in Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, and himself.

The article was about Beal's transition after 11 years with the Washington Wizards to Phoenix in June. Beal was the centerpiece of the blockbuster trade with Washington teammates Jordan Goodwin and Isaiah Todd for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet and four future first-round pick swaps and six future second-round draft picks.

Beal left Washington as the franchise's second-leading all-time scorer, and has a 22-point per game career average. He was an All-Star in 2018, 2020, and 2021, and was an All-NBA Third Team selection the latter year.

"It feels like I got drafted all over again,” Beal said. “I got drafted on my birthday at the age of 19 in 2012. And then here you go, fast forward 11 years later, the age of 30. I’m with a new team. It is definitely coming full circle. Feels surreal in some ways, but I’m definitely excited for this new journey.”

Beal spoke about how leaving his family's home in the nation's capital was difficult after being the face of the rebuilding franchise for over a decade.

“It was tough to have those conversations [and say] goodbye, but it was also encouraging," Beal said. "Everybody gets a chance to continue to move forward — some guys get bigger opportunities and bigger roles in D.C., which will be great for them. And now I have a bigger and better opportunity in front of me, too.”

Many in the NBA media view Booker, Durant, Beal and Ayton together as a super-team. There are many questions about how it will work toward success.

The team's payroll is top-heavy accounting for over $161 million for next season, so will the bench produce more than they did as one of the worst scoring-wise this past postseason?

There's plenty of offensive firepower among Beal, Booker, and Durant. But how will Ayton respond after being on the trading block for the second straight offseason and live up to his rookie max deal as those three presumably handle the scoring load?

Beal and Booker are both shooting guards, so who will run the offense?

In addition, super-team constructions have ultimately been disastrous in recent years after having high odds as title contenders.

Durant's former team, the Brooklyn Nets, including him, James Harden and Kyrie Irving only played 17 games together, and the team only had one playoff series victory with those future Hall of Famers on the roster. The Los Angeles Lakers with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook didn't reach the postseason during their first year together for the 2021-22 season, and L.A. traded Westbrook to Utah at this past February's trade deadline.

Beal addressed how Phoenix can make it work.

"In terms of our balance, we’ve talked subtly about how this thing can work. We know it won’t be easy," Beal said. "It’ll be a challenge, but the biggest thing is understanding that our one goal at the end of the day is winning. You know, we’re all gonna have our own individual goals, but I think the beauty about our group is that we’re so unselfish.

"And sometimes we might have to, like, yell at each other to shoot the ball or yell at each other to be aggressive because we have that mentality of deferring to the next man. So I think it’s gonna be very fun."

Beal has been known as one of the league's best scorers who's capable of averaging 30 points per game when he's fully healthy. He produced those marks in the 2019-20 season (Beal didn't return to the Orlando bubble from a shoulder injury when the league restarted in July 2020) and the next year. But Beal's played a total of 90 games since then because of several injuries.

But he wants to be known as more than just a scorer in his comeback. Beal wants to prove he can play again at an elite level on the opposite end of the floor for Phoenix's new defensive-minded coach Frank Vogel.

Plus, he wants to win more than just a first-round playoff series after reaching the Eastern semifinals three times.

"I haven’t really thought about my own goals yet, but I would say the biggest individual piece is getting back to being one of the best two-way players in the league," Beal said. "Showing that I can really compete at a high level and play a meaningful game. You know, playing in the playoffs, winning in the playoffs, advancing past rounds.

"Granted, I wanna get back to my All-Star level of play. I really believe that that’s who I am: All-NBA guy, All-Star guy. And I have a good group that can push me to be that every single day."

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns' Bradley Beal says he wants to return to 'All-Star level'