Shooting guard Bradley Beal has agreed to a buyout with the Phoenix Suns and will sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, his agent told ESPN on Wednesday.
Beal, 32, will sign a two-year, $11 million deal with the Clippers, with a player option for next season.
Beal had two years remaining on the five-year, $251 million contract he originally signed with the Washington Wizards in in 2022. He will reportedly forfeit $13.9 million of the roughly $110 million left on the contract, and the Suns will stretch the salary-cap hit of the remaining money over the next five years.
Phoenix traded for Beal in 2023, but his two seasons with the team were disappointing.
After acquiring Beal to form a star trio with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, the Suns lost in the first round of the playoffs in 2024 before missing the postseason entirely this year. Failing to meet their own championship expectations, the Suns traded Durant to the Houston Rockets earlier this month. Phoenix also fired head coach Mike Budenholzer in April, the third straight year the team has let go of its head coach.
Los Angeles, meanwhile, has not made it out of the first round of the playoffs since 2021. After signing two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard in 2019, the Clippers have won only three playoff series in the subsequent six years.
After losing to the Denver Nuggets in seven games in May, Los Angeles has had an active offseason.
The Clippers traded guard Normal Powell in a three-team deal in exchange for forward John Collins. They also signed center Brook Lopez, who won a championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.
Despite the Suns’ struggles last season, Beal was an efficient player offensively. He averaged 17.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game for Phoenix, shooting 49.7% from the field and 38.6% from 3-point range.
In his career, Beal 37.6% 3-point shooter on 4.3 attempts a game.
Injuries have been an issue for Beal, however. He has not appeared in more than 53 games in each of the last four seasons.
