Kevin Durant started the star exodus in Phoenix, and with Devin Booker signing an extension deal with the Phoenix Suns, star guard Bradley Beal has taken the next best path around to move on from the team, by agreeing to a buyout and then signing a new deal with the Los Angeles Clippers. Now it is an end of an error in the Arizona state.

The Houston Rockets' decision to pull off a trade for Durant meant that Phoenix was no longer going to hold on to Beal. But with the guard harboring a no-trade clause, it meant that a contract buyout was the only way to move on from him. Luckily, Beal agreed to the proposal, and the Suns also allowed him to entertain notable parties, later leading to the new signing with the Clippers.

Finding the best basketball situation seemed to be the motive here. Beal’s time with the Suns did not work out well as the team failed to become relevant in a stacked Western Conference team – despite having enough talent to build around. Committing to Booker’s later years means that Beal would not be there to witness a rebuild – and instead mend a hurting contender’s chances in Los Angeles.

Beal on the Move

Beal signs a two-year, $11 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers heading into the 2025-26 season. This includes a player option in the second year – and the deal is a shining show of commitment for Beal to allow the Clippers to find a leeway to bring him in while also not affecting much of the team’s salary cap in the long run.

The Clippers are already committed to both stars Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, and so bringing in a third star in Beal should have been problematic had it not been for the guard’s decision to take a pay cut at this point. He is playing for a winner, not for another year of tanking.

Los Angeles was eliminated in the 2025 NBA Playoffs in the first round, losing to the Denver Nuggets in seven games. It felt like the Clips were close to coming up with a promising run to the top of the West that time, and now they believe that adding Beal to the lineup would actually solve their scoring needs moving forward as they try another year with nearly the same roster.

But that is such a big gamble. Sure, Phoenix is expected to be out of the picture in the coming years in order to replenish its draft capital. However, there are a lot of teams to beat for Beal to have his big chance at the league title or even making it out of the Western Conference to begin with.

What Made Beal Leave the Suns?

Aside from the impending rebuild and the clear commitment to Devin Booker, Beal opted to move on from the Suns after he was forced out of the starting lineup last season. He was even linked a lot of times to Jimmy Butler with the latter’s exit from the Miami Heat, although it didn’t come to fruition.

Beal’s no-trade clause in the five-year, $251 million deal that he signed back with the Washington Wizards clearly hurt the Suns’ flexibility in the market, and it played a role in the Butler deal not to push through with Phoenix. Before the buyout, Beal was still owed nearly $111 million on his contract.

To top it all off, Beal was coming off his worst season in his career, just averaging 17 points, 3.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game in 32.7 minutes of action. Now he has a chance to redeem his worth in Los Angeles.