Bradley Beal officially signed a two-year, $13.2 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night, and the guy even managed to boost his 2026-27 salary to over $6 million. It’s a player option for 2027-28, too. This move has everyone scratching their heads because, let’s be real, few expected him to get more money out there. After only playing six games last season due to a hip injury, and not breaking 53 games in any of the last five years, most figured he’d take a pay cut for a contender. Remember all those years Miami reportedly had interest? Everyone assumed he’d finally head there or another championship-bound squad. But nope, he’s staying in LA and getting paid more. Wild stuff.
Beal’s Bounce-Back Bet Is A Head-Scratcher
The Clippers are seriously banking on Beal returning to at least his Phoenix form. Back then, despite the team’s struggles, he was dropping 17.6 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game over two years, with sweet 50.5/40.7/80.8 shooting splits. Those are solid numbers. But can he get back to that after his recent injury history? It was a surprise when he even declined his $5.6 million player option, given how few anticipated more money for him on the market. Now, here we are, with him getting a better deal. LA must see something in him, or maybe they just needed to move on with some roster stability.
Kawhi Chaos Keeps LA In Limbo
This whole Beal re-signing gets even more tangled when you look at the elephant in the room: the Kawhi Leonard trade. That deal with the Toronto Raptors is still on hold. The NBA’s investigation into alleged salary cap circumvention involving Leonard and the Clippers has blown up and stretched on for nearly a full calendar year. Both teams have been stuck in a holding pattern for over a month. So, re-signing Beal, especially now, signals that Los Angeles is finally done waiting for a resolution on Leonard before trying to solidify the rest of its roster. This has to make things interesting for Bennedict Mathurin, one of the top restricted free agents still out there, who’s watching those backcourt spots fill up.
Leonard’s camp is reportedly confident he’ll be rocking a Raptors uniform by training camp, and the assumption is the trade ultimately gets done. But after all the twists and turns this saga has taken, nothing is a guarantee. If camp arrives and that deal isn’t finalized, things are gonna get super awkward for both sides. The Clippers, though, seem ready to just move forward and finalize their roster, no matter the outcome of the investigation or if it scuttles the trade. That’s made a bit easier since they’re trading Leonard for a package headlined by another wing, Brandon Ingram, with Gradey Dick as the only other player expected to come in. Get ready, things are about to get real.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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