Bradley Beal Makes Free Agent Decision, Signs 2-Year Deal

Bradley Beal declined his $5.6 million player option from the Los Angeles Clippers at the beginning of the summer, hoping to land himself a bigger deal in free agency. There were a couple of notable teams linked to Beal, including the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics. But Beal has elected to stay in LA, and has signed a two-year deal with the Clippers for a small raise.

Beal gets small raise on new free agent deal

Beal will earn an average of $6.6 million annually on his $13.2 million deal, but he does have a player option for the second year.

The 33-year-old was once among the highest-paid players in the NBA, with the massive five-year, $251 million contract extension he signed with the Washington Wizards in 2022. That deal turned out to be a dud, as he missed 90 games over the first three years of the deal, though the last two years were bought out by the Phoenix Suns last summer for $99 million.

Beal then signed an $11M, two-year deal with the LA Clippers, but missed nearly the entire 2025-26 season after hip surgery.

The Clippers have already divested themselves of nearly all of their older players, going with a new youth movement. Beal, at 33, will be the second-oldest player on the team, next to 38-year-old Brook Lopez. This, of course, is assuming the Kawhi Leonard trade to Toronto eventually goes through.

The former three-time All-Star will add some depth to the Clippers’ backcourt, and some scoring that the team will be in need of. As noted, however, his availability will be something to watch, as he hasn’t played a full season since 2018-19.

In 14 NBA seasons, Beal has averaged 21.4 points per game, 4.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.1 steals, while playing in 34.3 minutes per night. He was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards.