Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green discusses joining the team
New Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green on joining the team after being traded from the Houston Rockets for Kevin Durant.
Bradley Beal plans to join the Los Angeles Clippers on a two-year deal for $11 million after agreeing to a buyout with the Phoenix Suns.
The Arizona Republic confirmed the buyout on July 16, with Beal’s agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports.
ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported the news.
The Suns tweeted ‘Thank You, Brad’ with a picture of him smiling in a white Phoenix uniform.
Bartelstein said Beal is “very excited” about joining the Clippers after the three-time All-Star clears waivers. The Suns gave Beal permission to talk with teams three weeks ago, Bartelstein said.
Bartelstein said they had serious conversations with seven to eight teams about Beal, but the Clippers proved to be the best fit. He noted Clippers head coach Ty Lue wanted Beal as both are from Missouri.
Bartelstein added that All-Star James Harden also expressed a desire to have Beal join the Clippers. He described the process as “very exhausting,” but that Beal is happy with the final outcome.
The buyout voided Beal’s no-trade clause, but he does have a player option on the second year of his new deal with the Clippers. Beal had a player option on the fifth and final year of the previous five-year, $251-million deal he signed with the Washington Wizards.
The Suns acquired Beal — and the remainder of his contract — in a trade with the Wizards in the summer of 2023 that involved Chris Paul. Beal averaged 17.6 points in two seasons with the Suns.
Phoenix was deemed a championship contender with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Beal the past two seasons, but fell way short of those expectations, even failing to make the playoffs last season while posting a losing record.
The Suns traded Durant to the Houston Rockets before the 2025 draft and acquired Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and Houston’s 10th overall pick in the draft. That pick wound up being Duke freshman 7-footer Khaman Maluach as part of a historic seven-team deal.
Now, the Suns have bought out the 32-year-old Beal as they construct a younger team around Booker, built on an identity of playing hard, aggressive and physical.
A proven scorer, Beal is second on Washington’s all-time scoring list at 15,391 points, only trailing Elvin Hayes by 160 points. He averaged 30-plus points in back-to-back seasons (2019-21) and made All-NBA third team in that 2020-21 season with the Wizards, but has battled injuries in his last four seasons.
Beal has played a total of 196 games in his last four seasons, seeing action in 53 games in each of his two seasons with the Suns.
Beal gave back essentially $13.9 million of the $110 million that remained on his contract with Phoenix over two seasons. The Suns will now stretch $96 to $97 million over five years at about $19.4 million a year, league sources inform The Republic.
Combine that with the salary cap hit of $3.8 million, consisting of Nassir Little’s $3.1 million and E.J. Liddell’s $706,898, the Suns will be right at the maximum amount that can count against the salary cap of $23.2 million.
The Beal buyout puts the Suns under the first and second tax apron and right at the tax line, giving them more flexibility to acquire players in the mid-level exception, sign-and-trade and aggregate salaries in a trade.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweeted the Suns are now $20.5 million below the second tax apron, $8.6 million below the first apron and $2.1 million below the luxury tax.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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