Fans were surprised when Mike Budenholzer and the Phoenix Suns benched Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic ahead of Monday’s win against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Not only were the fans shocked, but so was Beal himself. It caught him off guard, but he said he wouldn’t protest or become distracted. The 31-year-old is going to let things play out for now.

However, Beal said he was a starter and that nobody could take that away from him.

“I’m a starter in the league,” Beal said. “I firmly believe that. I don’t believe that — no disrespect to anyone, but I’m a starter. That’s what I firmly believe. But Coach made his decision. I’m not gonna sit here and argue with it. I’m not gonna sit here and be a distraction. I’m not gonna sit here and be an a–hole. He made his decision. I live with it. He’s the coach, know what I’m saying? I just gotta go out and play my game, and whatever happens from there, happens from there.”

Head coach Budenholzer said the roster changes were made because Phoenix had to change something to snap their four-game losing streak.

Rookie Ryan Dunn replaced the veteran in the starting rotation.

Despite being benched, Beal had a phenomenal game. He put up 25 points off 10/15 shooting, three rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one block. Not only that, but he did not turn the ball over once.

He led Phoenix in scoring and plus/minus.

Beal has played 24 games this season and averages 18.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists.

According to Chris Haynes, the Phoenix Suns have decided to take Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic out of the starting lineup. This comes before Monday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Rookie Ryan Dunn and backup center Mason Plumlee will be inserted into the starting five.

The outlining reason for this change is tension within the locker room and the team being on a four-game losing streak. It’s reported that players are frustrated about their roles and how this season has turned out.

“There is also tension in that locker room. I’m told certain players are unsure of their roles and frustrated with how they’re being used. The coaching staff, they’re still trying to figure things out.” Said by Chris Haynes.

This move is seen to be permanent, as Phoenix has no desire to make this a one-game change. Their roster experimentation appears to be here for the future.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, confirmed by the Phoenix Suns, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal will return to the court Tuesday night. Tuesday’s game is an NBA Cup game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Both players have completed multiple days of full practice to be cleared for a return. Durant has been out since November 8th, and Beal has been out since November 12th.

Durant, 36, and Beal, 31, return from calf injuries. Durant has dealt with this type of injury since the summer leading up to the Olympics. Beal has dealt with varying injuries since last season.