Bradley Beal is leaping out of one win-now situation in the Western Conference and into a new one in Los Angeles.
A new deal for Bradley Beal has thrust him back into one of the most pressure-packed situations in the NBA.
Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Phoenix Suns have bought out Beal’s contract and he’ll sign a two-year, $11 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers upon clearing waivers. The deal includes a player option for the 2026-27 campaign.
“The crux of the decision for Beal and his representation was finding the best basketball fit, first and foremost,” Charania notes, reporting that Golden State, Milwaukee, Minnesota, and the Los Angeles Lakers also expressed interest in Beal’s services. “Beal was granted permission by the Suns to speak to interested teams around the league, sources said.”
The deal shifts the two-time All-Star and Florida product from one of the most volatile win-now situations in the league to another, as he is set to sign up with a Clipper group that has only three players officially under contract for the 2027-28 season.
Beal will likely takeover a primary backcourt role now that Normal Powell was sent to South Beach and will be part of a primary lineup that continues to filter James Harden and Kawhi Leonard in and out. Los Angeles has kept busy following a narrow seven-game loss to Denver in the opening round of the Western Conference postseason, likewise adding interior threats John Collins and Brook Lopez.
Love this for Bradley Beal, whose oversized salary and no-trade clause have overshadowed the fact that he is still a very good basketball player who could really shine in the right environment with the right role. And I love this for the Clippers, who are building one of the more…
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) July 16, 2025
Beal is fresh off a disappointing couple of seasons in Phoenix, as his hyped collaboration with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant failed to yield any major dividends. Injuries ate away at him leaving a full impact in the desert, as he missed 58 games over the last season tours. He averaged 17.6 points and 4.3 assists in couple of seasons in Phoenix, neither of which produced a playoff series victory after he was moved from the Washington Wizards in 2023.
Moving Beal is part of a transformative offseason for the Suns, who are now out of the restrictive salary aprons now that Beal is off their hands. Phoenix previously traded Durant to the Houston Rockets in a deal partly headlined by the acquisition of Jalen Green. The Suns will be guided by new head coach Jordan Ott, their fourth different overseer in the last four years.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
