The Suns have officially rid themselves of one of the NBA’s worst contracts.
The team agreed to a contract buyout with Bradley Beal on Wednesday, weeks after it traded Kevin Durant to the Rockets as part of their teardown. Despite boasting an NBA-record $210 million in salary this past season, the Suns failed to even make the Play-In tournament behind Durant, Beal, and Devin Booker. The news was first reported by ESPN.
Beal is expected to sign with the Clippers on a two-year, $11 million contract with a player option in the second season once he clears waivers. Originally signed to a five-year, $251 million contract, Beal was making roughly $50 million per year, while having one of the just two no-trade clauses in the league. LeBron James is the other and is now the lone player to have a no-trade clause.
Waiving Beal helped create cap space for the team, which it severely lacked by keeping him on the roster. By keeping Beal, the Suns would have been $26 million over the first apron and $14 million above the second apron. It would have kept $32 million over the luxury tax line, which would have been $176 million in fees, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Buying out Beal and stretching his remaining money on his deal gets the Suns $8.6 million below the first apron, $20.5 million from the second apron and $2.1 million below the tax line.
Beal gave back $13.8 million on his deal to complete the buyout, according to The Athletic. He had two years and $110.8 million left on his contract.
The 32-year-old joins an aging and injury-prone Clippers team that also has James Harden (35), Kawhi Leonard (34), and Brook Lopez (37) on the roster. The Clippers took the Thunder to seven games in the first round of the playoffs, but lost to the eventual champions.
