Bradley Beal Rumors

Bradley Beal just joined the Clippers, but he’d already like to stay beyond this upcoming season. Beal recently agreed to a buyout with the Suns and agreed to a two-year deal worth $11 million with the Clippers that includes a player option after the first year. Beal’s agent Mark Bartelstein told Front Office Sports Today that the goal is to opt out and then agree to a longer deal with the Clippers. “Brad did not want to go anywhere where he would be a one-year rental or he would go somewhere where they’re getting a massive talent grab for a year, try to help them win a championship and then move on to somewhere else,” Bartelstein said on FOST. “Brad doesn’t like change. It’s one of the reasons why he stayed in Washington so long. So the goal of this is to go to LA, have an awesome season and then re-sign a long-term deal with the Clippers [next] summer.”

Front Office Sports

The Clippers recently re-signed James Harden and added Brook Lopez and John Collins to go with Kawhi Leonard. The team won 50 games this past season despite having Leonard play in just 37 of them and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Nuggets in seven games. “We just thought the Clippers presented an opportunity for Brad to really be the best version of himself, to get back to being exactly who he is, which is a multiple time All-Star and All-NBA player,” Bartelstein said. Beal made three All-Star teams and an All-NBA team in his 11 years in Washington.

Front Office Sports

Law Murray: Bradley Beal has already updated his profile #onhere to show he is a Clipper pic.x.com/Ix9EKZIlbS

Twitter

Brad is one of the most selfless players that I’ve ever been around,” Bartelstein told Sportskeeda. “Brad is going to do whatever it takes to win. But the point of the matter is this guy is a very, very special player. He’s a very special talent. You can’t average 30 points in this league twice at the efficiency level that he did it at without being one of the very, very best there is. He is always going to play the right way. He’s always going to be selfless. But if you have Brad Beal on your team, you have to let him be Brad Beal. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense and you’re not getting the best version of him.”

SportsKeeda

Soon after, the Suns gave Beal and Bartelstein permission to speak to other teams about joining them via buyout, the best signal yet that the Beal era in Phoenix was ending. More than 20 teams showed interest, sources said. Eventually Beal met, via Zoom, with half a dozen teams about how he might fit with them.

ESPN

The Suns had hoped to get Beal to leave more money on the table than just the $13.9 million. Talks went back and forth and got heated, sources said. Ultimately, Beal left the least amount possible to make the waiver work, to the penny. "There were some intense conversations," Mark Bartelstein said.

ESPN

Bobby Marks: With Bradley Beal being waived, LeBron James is the only player in the NBA with a true no trade clause. Eligibility: 8 years in the NBA and 4 years with the current team A player is not allowed to add a NTC in an extension.

x.com

The Spot Up Shot: Official: The Bucks have signed Cole Anthony & Chris Livingston. The Hornets have signed Drew Peterson to a two-way contract. The Suns have waived Bradley Beal.

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Personnel across several other teams -- including the Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers, sources said -- pursued Bradley Beal and had extensive conversations with him and Bartelstein in recent weeks.

ESPN

After a two-year run in Phoenix did not work out, the crux of the decision for Beal and his representation was finding the best basketball fit, first and foremost. Beal was granted permission by the Suns to speak to interested teams around the league, sources said. Bartelstein led an exhaustive process over the last several weeks, meeting with teams involved, that allowed Beal to make the decision to part with the Suns and control where he wanted to go.

ESPN

Beal is giving back $13.9 million out of the $110 million on the final two years of his contract to complete the buyout with the Suns, who will likely waive-and-stretch the remaining salary over five years, sources said.

ESPN

Shams Charania: Bradley Beal became extremely excited about the route to part ways after meeting with multiple interested suitors, and Bartelstein then moved forward with the Suns on completing the release Wednesday, opening the path for Beal to start a new chapter in LA.

x.com

Michael Scotto: Bradley Beal gave back $13.8 million in his buyout with the Phoenix Suns, sources told @hoopshype . By using the stretch provision, Phoenix can get below the luxury tax and both aprons, be able to trade future draft picks and save money, giving them roster maneuvering flexibility.

x.com

Shams Charania: BREAKING: Three-time NBA All-Star Bradley Beal has agreed to a contract buyout with the Phoenix Suns and plans to join the Los Angeles Clippers on a two-year, $11 million deal with a player option after clearing waivers, Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports told ESPN.

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