Bradley Beal agrees to buyout with Suns, to hitch Clippers
Three-time NBA All-Star Bradley Beal has agreed to a contract buyout with the Phoenix Suns and plans to hitch the LA Clippers on a two-year, $11 million cope with a participant choice after he clears waivers, Mark Bartelstein of Precedence Sports activities instructed ESPN on Wednesday.
The participant choice for 2026-27 clears the best way for Beal, 32, to be one of many prime out there gamers in free company subsequent summer season.
For the Clippers, Beal is a pure match alongside Kawhi Leonard and James Harden as a scorer, playmaker and co-star. LA signed Brook Lopez in free company and traded Norman Powell to the Miami Warmth in a three-team deal that introduced ahead John Collins to the Clippers from the Utah Jazz.
After a two-year run in Phoenix didn’t work out, the crux of the choice for Beal and his illustration was discovering one of the best basketball match, at the start. Beal was granted permission by the Suns to talk to groups across the league, sources mentioned. Bartelstein led an exhaustive course of during the last a number of weeks, assembly with groups concerned, that allowed Beal to make the choice to half with the Suns and management the place he wished to go.
Personnel throughout a number of different groups — together with the Warmth, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers, sources mentioned — pursued Beal and had intensive conversations with him and Bartelstein in latest weeks.
Beal is giving again $13.9 million out of the $110 million on the ultimate two years of his contract to finish the buyout with the Suns, who will probably waive-and-stretch the remaining wage over 5 years, sources mentioned.
The transfer permits Beal to function a significant addition to a playoff contender within the Western Convention — and provides the Suns elevated team-building flexibility by taking them out of the primary and second apron, offering entry to extra tradeable draft picks sooner or later, and opening up a part of the mid-level exception to make the most of.
Suns proprietor Mat Ishbia vowed after final season that modifications had been coming and he would reset the franchise’s tradition, and he has now accomplished a full overhaul of the roster round new management in coach Jordan Ott and normal supervisor Brian Gregory. The Suns traded Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets in a blockbuster deal, bringing again veterans Jalen Inexperienced, Dillon Brooks, in addition to draft picks Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming and Koby Brea to go along with one extra second-round choose.
Beal was traded to the Suns in the summertime of 2023, using his no-trade clause to assist select his vacation spot as he was moved from the Washington Wizards for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet and second-round picks. It served as an aggressive, all-in play for Ishbia and the Suns, teaming Beal, Durant and celebrity guard Devin Booker.
Beal averaged 17.6 factors, 4.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 50.5% field-goal taking pictures and 40.7% 3-point taking pictures for the Suns over the previous two seasons. He shot a career-best 57% on 2-pointers in 2024-25 and shot a career-high 66% on layups and dunks final season, in keeping with GeniusIQ. Accidents and workforce disappointment marred each campaigns, nonetheless, as Beal performed in simply 106 out of a potential 164 video games.
Beal spent his first 11 NBA seasons with the Wizards, making All-Star groups in 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2020-21 and the All-NBA third workforce in 2021.