The free-agent board keeps getting thinner for the Warriors, and Bradley Beal is the latest name to come off it.
Beal, a three-time All-Star, has agreed to a two-year, $13.2 million deal to return to the L.A. Clippers, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania on Thursday. He had originally opted out of his $5.6 million player option to explore free agency again, but ended up back in Los Angeles after six weeks of a market that never really took off.
Free agent Bradley Beal has agreed to a two-year, $13.2 million deal to return to the Los Angeles Clippers, with a player option in the second season, Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/RzLqjDv5hy
- Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 13, 2026
Beal was one of the biggest names still hanging around in free agency, with only six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan arguably bigger after being stretched-and-waived by the Sacramento Kings earlier in the offseason. The Warriors were never seriously connected to Beal this summer, but they had shown interest in the scoring guard when he became available last summer after leaving the Phoenix Suns.
His first season with the Clippers barely got going. Beal appeared in just six games, put up 8.2 points per night, shot 37.5% from the field, and then saw his year cut short by hip surgery.
Now he’s set to get another shot with the Clippers, including an early-season meeting with Golden State at Chase Center on November 11. The teams will meet again in San Francisco on November 29, then twice more in Los Angeles on December 23 and February 3.
For the Warriors, the Beal move only sharpens the reality of where they are in free agency. They still have two roster spots to fill, haven’t signed a rival player, and after missing out on LeBron James they’ve largely focused on bringing back the same group from last season.
With the market drying up, Golden State is reportedly looking at Brandon Williams, another scoring guard who remains unsigned despite a career-best season with the Dallas Mavericks. Williams averaged 13.0 points and 3.9 assists in 22.2 minutes per game.
The Warriors have also been linked to veteran forward Georges Niang and 24-year-old Dalen Terry, who became available thanks to James’ decision to head to the Philadelphia 76ers and the subsequent signing of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
That’s where things stand now: a shrinking pool of unsigned names and a Warriors front office still hunting for answers at the end of free agency.
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