Bradley Beal's Knee Injury Derails His Regular Season Start

The NBA regular season hasn't even tipped off yet, and Bradley Beal is already setting up camp on the injury report.

According to Underdog NBA, Beal is dealing with a knee issue and officially will not be ready for the start of the regular season.

"Underdog NBA reported: 'Bradley Beal (knee) won't be ready for start of regular season.'"

If you were hoping for a clean, fully healthy start to the year, you can go ahead and throw those expectations in the trash. Missing opening night is one thing, but entering the season already behind schedule on rehab is a massive red flag for a guy who needs his legs to create separation.

The Phoenix Suns are currently wrapping up their preseason slate, battling the San Antonio Spurs before a looming matchup against the Utah Jazz. Now, instead of fine-tuning their starting five, the coaching staff has to scramble to figure out who is soaking up Beal's minutes when the games actually start to count.

Relying on a clean bill of health for an aging star guard is like trusting a gas station sushi roll. It might look fine in the display case, but you know deep down it is going to cause you serious problems later.

For now, the rotation gets an immediate stress test. Bettors and fantasy managers will have to pivot quickly, while the team tries to survive the opening stretch of the calendar without one of their highest-paid players.