Bradley Beal Agrees to Buyout with Suns, Joins Clippers on $11M Deal

Three-time NBA All-Star Bradley Beal has agreed to a contract buyout with the Phoenix Suns and will join the LA Clippers on a two-year, $11 million deal with a player option after clearing waivers.

The Deal

Beal, 32, receives a two-year, $11 million contract with a player option for 2026-27, positioning him to be one of the top available free agents next summer. The Clippers had been the frontrunners for weeks after trading away Norman Powell in preparation for this signing.

Basketball Fit

For the Clippers, Beal is a natural fit alongside Kawhi Leonard and James Harden as a scorer, playmaker and co-star. He'll slide directly into the starting shooting guard spot vacated by Powell's departure.

Beal brings proven production: he averaged 17.6 points, 4.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 50.5% field-goal shooting and 40.7% 3-point shooting for the Suns over the past two seasons, with a career-best 57% on 2-pointers in 2024-25.

What This Means

For the Clippers: They get a proven veteran scorer who can handle the ball and create his own shot - crucial insurance for a team with injury-prone stars in Leonard and an aging Harden.

For Phoenix: The move provides increased team-building flexibility by taking them out of the first and second apron, providing access to more tradable draft picks in the future, and opening up part of the midlevel exception.

For Beal: He gets a fresh start with a playoff contender after playing in just 106 out of a possible 164 games over two disappointing seasons in Phoenix.

The Phoenix Experiment

Beal was traded to the Suns in summer 2023 from Washington as part of an aggressive, all-in play to team him with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. The superteam experiment never materialized due to injuries and chemistry issues, leading to this mutual parting of ways.

With Durant recently traded to Houston and now Beal gone, Suns owner Mat Ishbia has completed a full overhaul of the roster around new leadership in coach Jordan Ott and general manager Brian Gregory.

What's Next: Beal must clear waivers before officially joining the Clippers, but the deal is expected to be completed shortly. LA now has a "Big Three" of Leonard, Harden, and Beal - a veteran core betting on health and chemistry to make a playoff push in a loaded Western Conference.