After reaching a buyout with the Phoenix Suns, guard Bradley Beal will sign a two-year, $11 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. In essence, the Clippers replaced last year's breakout star Norman Powell with a combination of Bradley Beal and John Collins, who they acquired from Utah
Will it work? I'm not sure! But here's at least how it could look.
Projected Clippers lineup after adding Bradley Beal
Position | Starter | Backup |
|---|---|---|
Point guard | James Harden | Kris Dunn |
Shooting guard | Bradley Beal | Bogdan Bogdanovic |
Small forward | Kawhi Leonard | Derrick Jones Jr. |
Power forward | John Collins | Nicolas Batum |
Center | Ivica Zubac | Brook Lopez |
I won't pretend like that's not, if everything goes right, a really good NBA lineup. Unfortunately for the Clippers, they play in the Western Conference which is not pleasant right now, but still — this is a pretty balanced lineup with some star power up top (depending on how you view Kawhi going forward.)
I also won't pretend like I have any idea how Lue will balance his lineup. If he wants more defensive pressure in his starting five, maybe DJJ or Batum starts with Beal in an ultra-sixth man role. Maybe Beal and DJJ start in a smallball-ish formation with Collins coming off the bench. I don't see a clear and obvious answer here, but at least to start, I think Beal starts between James Harden and Kawhi Leonard.
In 2019, this might be the greatest offense trio ever assembled on a basketball team. In 2025, it still has a chance to be pretty good!
Ty Lue has depth to play with after adding Bradley Beal, John Collins
And he might need it because a lot of this roster is, well, kind of old. James Harden is 35, Kawhi is 34, Brook Lopez is 57 (okay, he's 37) and Nic Batum is 36.
That's why running a legit 10-man rotation (which I think they'll do, as all 10 of the guys listed above will be legit contributors) is such a privilege. Dunn and Bogi will be relied upon to play often when the inevitable minor injuries come, but they're both more than capable. Maybe we even see some Yanic Konan Niederhauser this year.
Bradley Beal hopes for a career resurgence in Los Angeles
He might get one, too. A lot of the Bradley Beal discourse over the past few years has started with how much he was getting paid. Beal signed a 5-year, $251 million contract with the Wizards, which was, at the time, the largest contract in the league. I am never, ever going to reprimand a player for getting their money; would you turn down a $251 million contract?
No, of course not. But Beal didn't produce like the top-ranked player in the NBA would be expected to, and it tanked his reputation around the league to the point where common thinking about Beal is that he's not a helpful or productive NBA player anymore, even though that's not true.
So, on a two-year, $11 million deal, Bradley Beal might suddenly be the most underpaid player in the league. Seriously. If you can name another player on a similar contract who can still impact a team as much as Beal, please do.