After he was hired as the Suns‘ head coach in June, Jordan Ott met with Bradley Beal and shared his plan for how the team could use the veteran shooting guard next season, writes ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. However, according to Windhorst, Beal had already decided after meeting with agent Mark Bartelstein that he wanted to move on from Phoenix.
“We couldn’t take the chance [of another lost year],” Bartelstein told Windhorst. “This decision was about basketball. Bradley wants to play in big games and in big moments.”
When Phoenix traded Kevin Durant to Houston for a package headlined by another shooting guard – Jalen Green – it cemented Beal’s decision.
According to Windhorst, the Suns and Timberwolves had discussed the possibility of a Durant package that would’ve included Rudy Gobert, Donte DiVincenzo, Terrence Shannon Jr., and the No. 17 pick in this year’s draft, which could’ve left an opening for Beal in the Suns’ lineup. But with Durant uninterested in playing in Minnesota, the Wolves were unwilling to move forward on those talks and Phoenix pivoted to the Rockets’ offer.
After the Durant trade was completed, the Suns gave Beal and Bartelstein permission to speak to other teams, and more than 20 showed interest, sources tell ESPN. Beal ultimately met via Zoom with about a half-dozen of them, and after trading Norman Powell to Miami earlier this month, the Clippers emerged as the clear frontrunner.
[RELATED: Bradley Beal Agrees To Buyout With Suns, Plans To Sign With Clippers]
According to Windhorst, while Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and head coach Tyronn Lue spoke to Beal about what the club could offer him, the most noteworthy pitch came from star guard James Harden, who lobbied the front office to pursue Beal and then reached out directly to the guard (and to Bartelstein) to recruit him.
In addition to selling Beal on the Clippers’ depth and how he would fit in with the current group, Harden pointed out that his own career has been rejuvenated in Los Angeles after disappointing stints in Brooklyn and Philadelphia, Windhorst notes. After a couple discouraging years in Phoenix, Beal is in a similar spot — he’ll be looking to bounce back next season and views L.A. as a good spot to do it.
“No one wants to be released. There’s heartache with that,” Bartelstein said. “But Bradley wants to be in a position where no one remembers he got released, that they’ll remember how he plays next season.”
Here’s more on Beal:
- The Suns needed Beal to give up at least $13.9MM of the $110.8MM still owed to him in order to legally waive-and-stretch his contract. Phoenix’s front office actually pushed for the 32-year-old to give up more than that, resulting in buyout talks getting “heated,” per Windhorst, who says Beal ultimately forfeited not a penny more than he needed to for the Suns to use the stretch provision. “There were some intense conversations,” Bartelstein said.
- Bartelstein also spoke to Mark Medina of Sportskeeda about why things didn’t work out for Beal in Phoenix and why he chose the Clippers over other suitors. Citing Beal’s existing relationship with Lue, along with the Clippers’ vision for his client, Bartelstein explained that L.A. checked all their boxes. “He was heavily pursued by pretty much everybody in the NBA and certainly almost every top-tier team,” Bartelstein said. “I had made it known in conversations around the league that we were looking to go somewhere where he could play in really big games and big moments. We knew there were places he can go to and score 30 points a game again. But he really wanted to go to a place where he can compete for a championship. With that in mind, we quickly narrowed down to six or seven teams that we thought were in that world and with the roster shaped up, it would be a great fit for Brad. … It was a really tough choice. … We felt at the end of the day that the Clippers was the very best fit.”
- The Suns’ trade for Beal will go down as one of the biggest missteps in franchise history, contends Doug Haller of The Athletic. Haller doesn’t blame Beal, noting that he was willing to change his game and continued to score efficiently. However, his production didn’t match his salary, Haller writes, which was a microcosm of the Suns as a whole — the league’s most expensive roster failed to win a playoff game during the two years after acquiring Beal.
Ha the Suns werent going to get a star that was worth the contract for the package they gave up for Beal. It was like swaps of already swapped picks and s***. It was the only way they could get a big name player with the assets remaining. They traded a mediocre package for an aging star with the leagues only NTC, that sounds about right.
“We knew there were places he can go to and score 30 points a game again. But he really wanted to go to a place where he can compete for a championship.”
Literally loled with this one. I know he’s his agent but who are you trying to fool here?
First off, no team which could offer him enough touches to score 30ppg (ie, rebuilding teams) would want him. This is the exact situation he ran away from.
Second, if he was really all about winning, why did he outright refuse the changes Bud wanted to try in a desperate attempt to get the team going? Oh, that’s right: he wants to win, but win HIS way.
Here’s to hoping he gets his playoff moment..and then puts up a stinker.
100
Why so vitriolic
Beal with his no trade clause chose to go play with booker and Durant. Making it sound like
It was the team’s fault rather than acknowledging he was a part of it is a little obnoxious.
Yeah, it sounds like Beal is giving up on his team here. Clearly there is no loyalty in sports but it sounded like Beal wanted to go to the Suns and now he wants out. Maybe there is even more going on behind the scenes here but the fact that he “demands” so much damn money from his team and still wants out is comical. I guess you could say the Suns gave up on Beal when they “tried” to trade Durant but at the deadline and then did but it just makes this league a joke.
The Suns traded for him. What part in this did he play? Not waiving his no trade clause?
Beal was a class act who got treated poorly by the Phoenix fans and national media because he was a poor fit in Phoenix (not his fault), because he had a series of injuries (not his fault), was working for a dysfunctional organization (not his fault), and because he wouldn’t agree to be traded, which was his right under the contract Phoenix traded for.
I watched this guy for years in Washington – he was a class act.
When Washington moved to trade him he said he wanted to go to phoenix. He knew the players he was going to play with. You are right the suns have been a dumpster fire. My point is he had agency in this. It did not happen to him, he was a part of it.
I’ll admit fans can be vicious, and I personally never blamed Beal for any of the above. But my point about his behavior with the Suns still stands and you don’t seem to be refuting that specifically. People can change, or sometimes their true colors only comes out in certain situations. And every report I’ve read involved him being difficult to coach and deal with (unlike, say, KD). That is hardly a “class act”.
Plus, correct me if I’m wrong, but the last couple of years with the Wizards, Beal was able to do whatever he wanted offensively as the team needed someone to put up points. IMO it’s a little easier to be a class act when you can go out there and do what you want to do, whereas with the Suns he was asked to change for the betterment of the team and refused, all the while being upset about the team’s lack of competitiveness. Can’t have it both ways and expect to be taken seriously.
Beal will help the Clippers, Suns got fleeced, gave up assets to get him, paying him off the next 5 years…
The Wizards are so bad yet be such geniuses for getting a taker for Beal’s salary.
They also got picks and Chris Paul in that deal, and then traded him to GS for Poole and picks. That was a rare piece of good business by the previous FO.
They also did very well with Westbrook and got Kuzma, KCP, Montrezl and Dinwiddie for him, but mostly failed to capitalize on those.
Westbrook’s season 2020-2021 in Washington had a surprisingly big impact on the league. He played at the highest pace and led the league in assists, which allowed Beal to score a lot and get All-NBA, which earned him the 35% supermax, which then had a big effect on Wash and PHX. Westrbook was then traded to LAL, and that move ruined their depth, chances of achieving anything from 2021 until now, and left them with a rather bleak future. They were able to dig themselves out of that hole only this year thanks to Nico’s stupidity. Westbrook also made a career for Gafford. Daniel should be forever thankful to Russ for those 30 games they played together.
It also had a big effect on Washington, who got fooled into thinking they could compete, and led them to select Kispert in 2021 instead of young high-upside prospects who were on the board. And they continued to try to compete for a couple more years, winning 30-something games, and wasting opportunities to get good players in good 2021, 2022, 2023 drafts.
The Beal trade was the first real move by the Wizards current front office. Was a pretty big statement by them to get any value for him and his contract.
Right. I incorrectly wrote that Beal was traded by the previous FO, but it was done by the new one.
Dinwiddie wasn’t from the Russ trade. The Wizards did good to trade him, but then they decided to get cute and combine the Dinwiddie S+T and Aaron Holiday trade with the Russ trade to create some trade exceptions, and in the process had to give up like 5 second round picks. Two to the Lakers, two to the Nets, and one to the Spurs to dump Chandler Hutchinson.
They then dumped Holiday to the Suns later that year, traded Rui to the Lakers (who only had to trade back the 2nds the Wiz already gave them) and at least sent out Dinwiddie for Porzingis at his lowest value.
They then traded Harrell for Ish Smith and Vernon Carey, traded Ish Smith and KCP for Will Barton then had to buy him out plus Monte Morris (who they ended up getting a single 2nd round pick for). The Wizards ended up with jack squat within two years of that trade.
Makes sense that he hit it off with harden. The two of them will enjoy sitting on the bench together looking like deers in headlights during those big games.
The team of glass in L.A. is gonna be fun to watch … right up until Kawhi, James, and Brad start breaking. January? Or is that being optimistic?
Not a fan of bad investments. Thats what a injury history should tell you. Help you decide. Clippers have taken chances on that and rolled the dice. There are reasons for that. Competing in LA the big one.
Since Ballmer bought the team in 2014. Clippers have made the playoffs 8 out of the 10 years. Last year finishing as the 5th seed in West (50–32). Tied for third most wins with Houston, LA.
This year they added Brook Lopez, John Collins, Bradley Beal. After losing SG N Powell. Clippers also drafted Y Konan a promising C prospect. Which can give them the option of trading Zubac at TD or sooner.
Beal at 32 yrs old is in the prime of his career. He is finally going to play his natural position SG. This team is better than last yrs team on paper. It is a better mix of talent and players.
Clippers lost to Nuggets last yr in 7 games. Don’t count this team out. They can be a top 4 team in playoffs. Where it really counts. Top 8 in the West are tough teams this year.
Thunder-Nuggets-Rockets ………. Then ????
TWolves, Clippers, Warriors, Grizzlies, Lakers, Mavs
Bradley Beal and Paul George are the most overrated players of the last decade, and the LA Clippers are the most wasteful money and bad decision-making team in this era. Just that they traded SGA for Paul George and now want to sign Bradley Beal, it is obvious that they don’t know what they are doing.
Betting odds that Beal will go down injured again, twist an ankle, strain hamstring, whatever, he’ll play his 2 games, then sit out with so called injury for 3 games, how long before the clippers media will say when is Beal going to play more than 2 games out of 5. Believe me when he can play when he wants to, but at age 32 and these guaranteed monies is he really going to put out a 100% when he only plays about 40% of the season. He has to show me; he really wants to play now uhm!!. Remember he was the #1 player on a bad Wizard team, wanted to be traded to the Suns, does not like the fit, with Durant and Booker, playing as a third wheel behind them, now goes to the Clippers and again has the same player status behind Harden and Leonard now. Sounds like the same scenario he just left. Just a bad investment.
Clearly most of you here have never watched Beal..
Cause all I read is how much he sucks and how terrible he is. Then how Suns are worst franchise ever and how bad they are. Yet Beal in two yrs in a place that doesn’t know what they are doing. By all your rambling. Beal managed to shoot as well as the MVP.
Now he is going to a 50 win team.
in two yrs with Suns Beal shot —
.552% (2pt), .430% (3pt), .81% FT on 14 shots.
.565% (2pt), .386% (3pt), .81% FT on 13 shots.
SGA the MVP last year avg
.571% (2pt), .375% (3pt), .898% FT on 22 shots.
80% of you who post here all you got is hate. If Beal isn’t on your team. Why does it matter to you. He will play his right position in LA. So he will have no problem putting up 22 a game. All he needs is 17-18 shots.