Bradley Beal is heading back to free agency after playing all of six games for the Clippers last season. The 33-year-old guard declined his $5.6 million player option for next year, per Chris Haynes of Prime, and will hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent when the window opens Tuesday evening.
Beal signed with Los Angeles last offseason after a buyout with the Phoenix Suns. The hope was that he could provide some scoring pop off the bench and stay healthy enough to matter in the playoffs. Then he fractured his hip, played just six games total, and the Clippers ended up losing a play-in game to Golden State. So much for that.
At 33 with a medical chart that reads like a small novel, it’s hard to know what kind of offers are out there for Beal. The guy can still score when he’s on the floor. That part hasn’t been the issue for years now. The issue is whether any team can count on him being on the floor. The Clippers might bring him back on a cheap deal if the price is right, but they don’t have much to go on from last season besides an injury and a few flashes.
The bigger story in LA right now is Kawhi Leonard. He’s coming off arguably the best regular season of his career, which naturally has people wondering if the Clippers would actually trade him. The franchise hasn’t made a big move yet this offseason, and there are rumors floating around about everything from a potential Jaylen Brown trade to lingering fallout from the Aspiration scandal that surfaced last summer. None of that has been confirmed by the team.
Beal’s decision to decline the option doesn’t come as a surprise. The money was low relative to what he used to make, and testing the market gives him a chance to find a better fit or a bigger role. Whether he gets that chance is another question entirely. There aren’t many teams lining up to pay a guard his age with his injury history, even if the flashes of brilliance are still there.
Free agency starts Tuesday. Beal will be one of the more interesting names on the board, not because he’s a star anymore but because someone always bets on talent. The question is which team makes that bet and how much they’re willing to risk.
Leave a Comment