Bradley Beal’s time with the Phoenix Suns is over.
Beal reached a buyout with the Suns on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, ending his two-season run with the franchise. Beal is now expected to sign a two-year, $11 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers. The deal will include a player option.
Per Charania, Beal’s priority was “finding the best basketball situation.”
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Beal’s time with the Suns did not go as planned. He landed with the franchise in 2023 after spending the first 11 seasons of his career with the Washington Wizards. But, despite playing alongside Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, the Suns largely struggled to compete in the Western Conference. Durant has since been traded to the Houston Rockets while Phoenix starts to rebuild.
Beal was moved out of the starting lineup last season, too, while he was linked to trade rumors with Jimmy Butler amid his tumultuous exit with the Miami Heat. It marked the first time that Beal had been placed in a reserve role in just shy of a decade. Beal had a no-trade clause in the five-year, $251 million deal he first signed with the Wizards, though, which limited the Suns’ options ahead of the deadline last season. Butler eventually went to the Golden State Warriors.
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Beal was still owed nearly $111 million on his contract before the buyout. He was earning more than $50 million a season.
Beal averaged 17 points last season, which is his worst output since his rookie campaign. He also averaged 3.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting just shy of 50% from the field. The Suns went just 36-46 last season and missed the playoffs. They parted ways with head coach Mike Budenholzer and have since hired Jordan Ott to replace him. Ott is the franchise’s fourth head coach in four seasons.
Even though Beal’s time with the Suns didn’t go as planned, and there were plenty of rough stretches with the Wizards, the 32-year-old is now getting a fresh start with what will be the third team of his career.
