Suns at a crossroads: Stalled hopes, Jimmy Butler interest and Bradley Beals no-trade clause [Video]

A viral social media post provided more than just a fun fact.

Earlier this month, longtime NBA journalist Zach Lowe released an obscure observation on X, formerly Twitter, about the Phoenix Suns: Bradley Beal tied his shoelaces midgame an unusual amount. The thought gained traction online, enough for basketball analytics expert Todd Whitehead to run the numbers and estimate how often Beal reaches to his sneaker tops this season. The calculus? He’d spent 15 more seconds tying his shoes than anyone else in the league.

But while no typical person would track the exact yearlong count, this concept wasn’t news to the Suns.

Phoenix staffers had noticed the trend already, that in the middle of a possession, Beal would bend down to retie his shoes as the other nine players continued. They didn’t know why. They just realized it was happening. And some detected that, in moments, it had burned the squad.

A couple of weeks …