All-Star guard Bradley Beal has completed a buyout of the remainder of his contract with the Phoenix Suns and is reportedly set to take his talents from the Valley of the Sun to one of the Los Angeles Lakers' chief rivals.
While there were differing opinions regarding just how interested the Lakers were in pursuing a deal with Beal, enough rumors were circulating to know that the former All-Star was at least on the radar of the Purple and Gold as we move deeper into the offseason.
With Rob Pelinka and company missing out on Beal, and him remaining in the division, Los Angeles will have even more to contend with if they want to repeat as Pacific Division champions during the 2025-26 season.
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According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Beal had already locked down his next home in the NBA not long after agreeing to a buyout with the Suns. Once he clears waivers, the former Florida Gators standout will be joining forces with James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and the Los Angeles Clippers on a two-year, $11 million deal.
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. pic.twitter.com/gxZB0ObSms
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 16, 2025
The Lakers could have offered Beal a two-year deal worth just over $10 million, but they were never going to be able to match what the Clippers could offer. Whether that alone was the motivating factor for Beal is a question that only he knows the answer to. However, there is no denying the fit he would have had with the Purple and Gold from a basketball perspective alone.
There is a major difference between having Beal on your roster when he is the highest-paid player on the team as opposed to a veteran making $5.5 million per season as a supporting piece alongside Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
Of the $110.8 million that Beal had remaining on his deal in Phoenix, he will be giving up $13.8 million in money owed to him to complete the buyout, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic. In the end, Beal will recoup almost all of that money in his new deal with the Clippers, but roughly $3 million of that will be lost altogether by Beal after making this move.
The Suns and Beal wanted a fresh start, and this allows for Phoenix to do that while also shedding salary from the roster, a chief concern for all teams with the implementation of the first and second apron into the league's CBA.
For the Lakers, they go back to the drawing board as upgrades still need to be made to this roster, and, as fans are seeing, the market is drying up with every passing day.