Inside The Wizards

Former Wizards Star Starts Fresh with Clippers

The Washington Wizards' former franchise player is on the move again, this time without the burden of the contract he was weighed down with.

Henry Brown

Jan 9, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) against the Atlanta Hawks at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Jan 9, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) against the Atlanta Hawks at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
In this story:

Bradley Beal, one of the league's highest-paid players on the Phoenix Suns, has finally been separated from one of the more infamous contracts in league history. The former All-Star agreed to a buy-out with his team of two years as the team changes directions in the offseason, as he's set to join the veteran-laden Los Angeles Clippers in the fall.

The onerous quarter-billion dollar contract he signed with the Washington Wizards looked like one of the more immovable deals in the league, making it that much more impressive when Washington's new managing group traded him immediately upon taking over the team. Not only did the Suns give up a long line of draft picks, but also watched as Beal's contract became the worst in the league.

He completely held up the market at last season's trade deadline, with things going sour between Beal and management to that point that he started sounding proud of the no-trade clause that was attached to his deal.

The Suns were done with the Kevin Durant-Bradley Beal iteration of the team. The two scorers joined a team that held championship aspirations just two years ago, but they never won a single playoff game as teammates. The Suns made it clear that they were not willing to continue on with Beal, eating the remainder of the $110 million that was owed to him over the next two seasons to open the door for the Clippers to bring him in.

He'll join Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Ivica Zubac on another ready-made fringe-contender, with Beal being viewed differently than he was when he was dealt to Phoenix. He's more of a role-playing scorer than a star heading into his 14th season, likely taking the shots left by Norman Powell on a much cheaper and shorter agreement.

Beal was as undesirable an asset as there was in the league, fueling rumors that the Wizards attempted a reunion in trying to reap further draft capital out of the desperate Suns. He and the Suns opted for a restart, though, closing the book on one of the more confounding contractual situations in NBA lore.

Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Published
Henry Brown
HENRY BROWN

Henry covers the Washington Wizards and Baltimore Ravens with prior experience as a sports reporter with The Baltimore Sun, the Capital Gazette and The Lead. A Bowie, MD native, he earned his Journalism degree at the University of Maryland.

Home/Washington Wizards News