Bradley Beal is considering four teams as his next destination once he and the Phoenix Suns agree to a buyout, Fred Katz of The Athletic reports.
“According to a league source, the list of teams Beal has thought about includes the LA Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks,” Katz wrote.
The Suns and Beal are in serious discussions about buying out the remaining $110.8 million over the next two years on the three-time All-Star’s contract.
There is an increasing optimism that the two sides will agree to terms on a buyout, according to Katz, citing league sources. Katz added that Beal has to give back at least $13.8 million to allow the Suns to waive and stretch him.
Beal, 32, will be a bargain for a team that will sign him as an unrestricted free agent. The veteran guard still averaged 17.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists on 50/39/80 shooting splits last season for the Suns despite his clunky fit next to Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
But the Suns will also benefit from a Beal buyout. If Beal agrees to it, the Suns will not only get out of the roster-building crippling second apron but also out of the luxury tax altogether.
The Suns though will have to take a dead cap hit of $19.4 million on its books in each of the next five seasons.
‘Zero Percent Chanche’ Bradley Beal Comes Back
John Gambodoro, the longtime Sports Radio Talk Show host of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix, has been onto this since the miserable Suns’ season ended in flames.
Gambodoro was adamant “that there’s a zero percent chance that Bradley Beal comes back” to the Suns next season.
“And I truly believe that, you know me, if I go out on a limb, on something I’m probably doing it for a reason,” Gambodoro said on “Burns and Gambo” show on April 13. “I don’t see a scenario in which Bradley Beal can come back.”
Gambodoro accurately predicted that Beal will have no trade market this offseason.
“I don’t believe you could trade [Beal],” Gambodoro added. “I think you go to the offseason and you try before to agree to any type of buyout or anything like that.”
And after the Suns traded Durant, the writing’s on the wall for Beal.
Bradley Beal’s Potential Offers
Usually, the money that a player surrenders in a buyout is what he will get from his next team. But the Lakers could only offer their $5.1 million bi-annual exception. Plus, the Lakers starting backcourt is already set with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Yet Lakers president Rob Pelinka is used to having stars falling into his lap.
Their crosstown rivals Clippers can offer more: a $5.3 million starting salary (what’s left of their $14.1 million midlevel exception after signing Brook Lopez, per Katz) in 2025-26 and a starting role after they traded Norman Powell to the Miami Heat in a three-team trade with the Utah Jazz earlier.
The Warriors can have the most money to offer. It can even cover what Beal is expected to lose in a buyout, granted they sign-and-trade Jonathan Kuminga in a salary dump move to gain access to the $14.1 million MLE, according to Katz. Beal can start next to Stephen Curry in the Warriors’ backcourt with Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green flanking them and whoever will be their starting center.
The Bucks have the least to offer Beal as they are limited to giving him the veteran’s minimum after using all of their exceptions.
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