Buyout talks between Bradley Beal and the Phoenix Suns got “heated,” according to NBA insider Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
A deal, though, got done and Beal plans to sign a two-year, $11 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers.
“Getting to the decision was one thing. Making the deal was another. The Phoenix Suns needed Bradley Beal to leave at least $13.9 million from his remaining two seasons to make the buyout legal under league rules,” Windhorst wrote. “The Suns were right up against the maximum 15% of the salary cap allocated to bought-out players and needed Beal’s cooperation.
“The Suns had hoped to get Beal to leave more money on the table than just the $13.9 million. Talks went back and forth and got heated, sources said. Ultimately, Beal left the least amount possible to make the waiver work, to the penny.”
The Suns and Beal finalized a whopping $99 million buyout agreement. Phoenix used the waive-and-stretch provision to swallow the $99 million owed to Beal over the next five years, which means that money will sit on their cap, at $20 million a season, until the end of the decade, per Windhorst.
Beal was traded by the Washington Wizards to the Suns in 2023. Phoenix went 55-51 when Beal played, going 0-4 in the 2024 playoffs and missing the postseason in 2025.
Beal appeared in 106 games with the Suns. He averaged 17.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists. The three-time NBA All-Star joins a Clippers team with James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, John Collins and Ivica Zubac on it.
LAC has never reached the NBA Finals. Neither has Beal, who has career averages of 21.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists. It will be intriguing to see how the Clippers fare next season.
Latest NBA News & Rumors
- NBA Rumors: Phoenix Suns Interested in Golden State Warriors Restricted Free Agent Jonathan Kuminga
- NBA Rumors: Cavaliers, Knicks, Mavericks Hope LeBron James Gets Bought Out by Lakers Before Next NBA Season
- NBA News: Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid Reveals Why Los Angeles Clippers’ James Harden No Longer Talks to Him
