The Los Angeles Lakers were dealt a major blow this offseason as three-time All-Star Bradley Beal spurned them to join their crosstown rivals Clippers, once he clears waivers.
Beal has agreed to a contract buyout with the Phoenix Suns on July 16 and plans to sign a two-year, $11 million deal with the Clippers, ESPN’s senior NBA insider Shams Charania reports.
The 32-year-old guard is giving back $13.8 million to complete the buyout, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic.
“The crux of the decision for Beal and his representation was finding the best basketball situation first and foremost once he was granted permission by the Suns to speak to interested suitors around the NBA, and Bartelstein led an exhaustive process over the last few weeks,” Charania wrote on X.
NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer previously reported that the Lakers were one of the five interested teams. That group included the Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and the Milwaukee Bucks.
According to Charania, Beal became “extremely excited” about his buyout with the Suns after meeting with multiple interested suitors.
Beal considered the Lakers, Warriors and the Bucks aside from the Clippers, Katz previously reported.
Ultimately, he opted for the Clippers, who have an opening in their starting unit after trading Norman Powell to the Miami Heat in a three-team deal that brought back forward John Collins.
Battle of L.A. Gets More Interesting
Getty Bradley Beal adds more excitement to the “Battle of L.A.”
Beal will join James Harden and Kawhi Leonard to form a new Big 3 in Los Angeles that will pose a great threat to the Lakers. Between the three Clippers stars are 20 NBA All-Star appearances. Collins and Ivica Zubac complete their formidable starting unit.
The Clippers also have great depth with Brook Lopez, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nicolas Batum, Derrick Jones Jr. and Kris Dunn coming off the bench.
Barring any surprise trade, the Lakers, in contrast, will have Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and their own buyout pickup Deandre Ayton in their starting unit.
Coming off the bench are Jordan Goodwin, Jake LaRavia, Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent.
Suffice it to say, the “Battle of L.A.” will be lit.
LeBron Expected to be in Lakers Training Camp
James is a Laker for now after he gave “no indication” to the team that he would seek a trade or a buyout, The Athletic reports.
In the sections filled with employees from other teams, scouts and executives around the NBA buzzed with speculation about where else James might play, tossing around trade and buyout scenarios that, league and team sources told The Athletic, have never been discussed between James and the Lakers.
Amid the constant speculation recently about his future, both the Lakers and people close to the NBA’s all-time leading scorer expect that he will be with the organization for training camp once the season begins this fall, league sources told The Athletic.
James showed up in the last two Lakers’ Summer League games to throw his full support to his teammates, particularly his son, Bronny James. But he’s also been heavily engaged with the other members of the team — from the coaching staff to his new teammates, Ayton and LaRavia, and holdovers Dalton Knecht and Reaves, who also pulled up in Las Vegas.
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