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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.”
Beal, 32, is a 13-year veteran and three-time All Star who struggled to fit alongside Kevin Durant and Devin Booker in Phoenix. He was bought out of the final two years of a five-year, $251 million contract that included a no-trade clause. Beal gave back $13.8 million on his deal to complete the buyout, according to The Athletic.
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.
Beal’s scoring dropped in Phoenix. He averaged 17.6 points per game for the Suns, roughly five points less than he did in Washington. Despite boasting the highest payroll in NBA history at $210 million, the Suns didn’t make the postseason this year and were swept in the first round of the 2024 playoffs.
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