Bradley Beal is staying in Los Angeles.
The veteran guard has officially agreed to a two-year deal to return to the Clippers after declining his $5.6 million player option and testing free agency. The new contract is worth $13.2 million, and it gives the Clippers another shot at squeezing production out of a player who once looked like one of the league’s premier scoring guards.
Beal, 33, didn’t draw a huge market when he became available, but the Clippers still made the move to bring him back. He’ll join a young rotation that includes Darius Garland, Rui Hachimura, and Bennedict Mathurin, giving Los Angeles another backcourt option as it continues shaping its roster.
Last season was a rough one for Beal. It was his first with the Clippers, but he appeared in only six games and averaged 8.2 points, 0.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 0.5 steals while shooting 37.5% from the field. Injuries have chipped away at his career in recent years, and hip surgery kept him out for most of the season.
That’s part of why the Clippers felt comfortable giving him another chance. Beal spent a lot of time in the city during rehab and recovery last season, so returning to Los Angeles avoids another summer of moving on and starting over.
“Beal explored options in free agency upon declining his $5.6M player option, giving the Clippers more salary space to pursue deals as well, before the sides landed on his return in LA after the three-time NBA All-Star rehabbed from hip surgery that cost him most of last season,” Shams added.
There was a time when Beal’s name carried real weight as a scorer. During his best stretch in Washington, he put up 31.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game in the 2020-21 season and led the Wizards for years with his shot-making. But since leaving D.C., he has had a much harder time finding the right fit, with stops from the Suns to the Clippers not delivering the kind of run anyone hoped for.
The Miami Heat also showed interest, and they were believed to be making a push for Beal. In the end, though, Miami will have to look elsewhere for perimeter shooting around Giannis.
For the Clippers, the appeal is obvious. Beal gives them another scorer who can help stretch the floor and add backcourt punch. And with the roster they have now, Los Angeles may not be viewed as a title team, but there’s enough talent there to catch people off guard.
For Beal, the setup is simpler. On a team with no expectations, he gets a chance to rediscover his rhythm without carrying the pressure of every night feeling like a referendum on his game.
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