Bradley Beal’s next stop could come with a familiar kind of pressure: a team expecting to win right away. NBA insider Jake Fischer said during his latest Bleacher Report live stream that the Heat, Celtics and Clippers are among the clubs keeping an eye on the free agent guard.
Miami had shown some interest in Beal earlier in free agency, though Fischer said the Heat have not been pushing hard for a deal while they wait on LeBron James’ decision. Boston remains in the conversation as well, with Fischer pointing to Beal’s relationship with Celtics star Jayson Tatum and saying he has been advised not to rule out the Celtics as a possible landing spot for the three-time All-Star.
The Clippers are also still in the mix. Beal played only six games for them in 2025/26 before a hip injury ended his season and required surgery, and he later turned down a $5.62MM player option in June.
Even so, Fischer said a return to Los Angeles is still possible, noting that the 33-year-old wanted to be there a year ago. Fischer added that wherever Beal lands, the expectation is that he’ll join a team with “playoff aspirations,”
Fischer also said he hasn’t heard much lately about Russell Westbrook’s free agency, though he does not expect the former MVP to end up back with Sacramento. “I don’t believe Sacramento wants him back (and) I don’t believe he wants to go back there,” Fischer said.
Jonathan Kuminga’s camp, meanwhile, is hoping Cleveland becomes a real option if LeBron does not return to the Cavaliers. Fischer reported that head coach Kenny Atkinson’s past stint as an assistant in Golden State gives him familiarity with Kuminga, and that the forward and his representatives believe a starting role and a salary “north of the mid-level exception” could be available in Cleveland. That kind of deal would be tricky for the Cavaliers to pull off without shedding salary, since it would require a sign-and-trade that would hard-cap them at the first tax apron.
Golden State, for its part, is looking for frontcourt help after losing Quinten Post to Memphis. Fischer said veteran stretch bigs Kelly Olynyk and Georges Niang are on the Warriors’ radar, especially if they land LeBron, and described both as players who are “very much in the cards” for Golden State. He added that either one could likely be signed for the veteran’s minimum.
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