Bradley Beal’s time in Phoenix is over.
The veteran guard and the Suns agreed Wednesday to a buyout of Beal’s contract, making him a free agent, and he will sign a two-year, $11 million contract with the LA Clippers once he clears waivers, league sources tell The Athletic.
Beal, 32, will give back $13.8 million of the $110.8 million the Suns previously owed him over the next two years, a league source said. The Suns could decide to stretch the remaining $97 million over five years, creating a dead cap hit of $19.4 million that will stay on Phoenix’s books for each season through 2029-30.
The conversation about a possible buyout began around the beginning of July, and the Clippers had long been considered the favorite to sign Beal once he clears waivers. His new contract will earn him $5.3 million in 2025-26 and include a $5.7 million player option for 2026-27.
The Clippers rose to the top of Beal’s list after the Suns gave Beal and his agent, Mark Bartelstein, permission to speak with other teams. Former MVP James Harden sold Beal enthusiastically on joining him in LA, where Beal already had relationships in place, a source close to Harden said.
Beal has known head coach Tyronn Lue for years, and both are proudly from Missouri. Beal is also especially close with Clippers trainer Jesse Phillips, with whom he worked for years when both were with the Washington Wizards.
Beal appreciates the basketball fit with the Clippers, Bartelstein told The Athletic. Lue explained ways he could unlock Beal, who will join a starting lineup that includes Harden, Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac. Beal also respects the vision of team owner Steve Ballmer. Team president Lawrence Frank was “relentless” in his pursuit of Beal, Bartelstein said.
The Suns have spent the offseason reworking the front office, coaching staff and roster. Owner Mat Ishbia wants to build a team that plays with toughness and grit. In July, the Suns completed a trade of superstar Kevin Durant with the Houston Rockets for a package that included guard Jalen Green, forward Dillon Brooks and the 10th pick in last month’s NBA Draft, Khaman Maluach.
The decision to depart from Beal was not a surprise. The Suns acquired him in a trade with the Wizards in the summer of 2023, hopeful that a trio of Beal, Durant and Devin Booker would help the organization contend for its first title. Phoenix never came close.
In 2024, the Minnesota Timberwolves swept the Suns in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. Last season, the Suns finished 36-46, falling short of the Play-In Tournament.
Phoenix initially tried to move Beal at last season’s trade deadline but found little interest. In addition to the max money owed on his contract, Beal also had a no-trade clause that allowed him to have a say in his next destination. Now that the Suns have bought him out of his deal, his no-trade clause is no more. A big hurdle in finding a taker for Beal was his injury history. Over two seasons in Phoenix, he missed 35.4 percent of regular-season games due to nagging issues.
For the Suns to retain the option of stretching Beal’s remaining money, the three-time All-Star had to give back at least $13.8 million, due to a niche rule in the collective bargaining agreement, explained here. When healthy, Beal was productive. Last season, he averaged 17 points, shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from 3. Over his time with the Suns, he also ran the point, came off the bench and guarded the opponent’s best perimeter player.
With Durant and Beal gone, the Suns will continue to build around Booker, a star guard who recently agreed to a lucrative two-year contract extension designed to keep him in place through the 2029-30 season.
Why the Clippers want Beal
The Clippers’ three priorities this offseason were to address their frontcourt, ballhandling and shooting. Beal’s pending availability was a major reason they traded Powell to gain more frontcourt size with contract-year power forward John Collins.
In Beal, the Clippers have a comparable shooter to Powell but a better ballhandler and playmaker. Powell averaged a career-best 2.1 assists per game last season, while Beal averaged an eight-year low 3.7 assists per game. Beal has averaged at least 2.4 assists per game in each of his 13 NBA seasons.
The concerns with Beal come down to durability (he has averaged 33 missed games a season the last four years) and mindset on both ends of the floor. His free-throw attempts nosedived in Phoenix, while his defensive ability has never been a strength. However, the Clippers wanted Beal, who will be motivated to make his money back.
LA has a lot to figure out in terms of Beal’s spot in the pecking order and how he will fit into what will be a changing defense, but the talent upgrade between Beal, Collins and new backup center Brook Lopez is notable. — Law Murray, Clippers beat writer
(Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
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