Bradley Beal is officially on his way to the Los Angeles Clippers. Shams Charania broke the long-awaited news on Twitter/X on Wednesday afternoon.
Charania wrote, "BREAKING: Three-time NBA All-Star Bradley Beal has agreed to a contract buyout with the Phoenix Suns and plans to join the Los Angeles Clippers on a two-year, $11 million deal with a player option after clearing waivers, Mark Bartelstein of [Priority Sports] told ESPN."
The ESPN insider added that the most important point for Beal's decision was 'finding the best basketball situation.' The former Phoenix Suns guard 'became extremely excited' about moving on via buyout after exploring the multiple suitors available.
One of those teams was rumored to be the Los Angeles Lakers. It would not be unfair for Lakers fans to typically laugh at the Clippers trying to steal their spot as an offseason hotbed. However, this particular offseason has featured the Lakers going 0-3 on key targets linked to both franchises.
Lakers' winless streak against the Clippers in 2025 offseason is not a nightmare
Beal would have been a risky gamble for the Lakers. However, the team proved comfortable with taking those after the DeAndre Ayton signing.
The talent still possessed by Beal made him a high-risk, high-reward situation. There is certainly an argument that can be made in the Lakers' favor, suggesting the franchise is better off by missing out.
James Harden
Bradley Beal
Kawhi Leonard
John Collins
Ivica Zubac
Clippers looking scary 👀
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 16, 2025
The same can be said of the two other times the Clippers have beat the Lakers to a rumored target. Those would be the instances of John Collins and Brook Lopez.
Collins enjoyed his connections to the Lakers this offseason. The high-flying big man ultimately wound up with the crosstown rival instead. That trade involved the Clippers paying a steep price by sacrificing Norman Powell.
Granted, that cost looks a bit better after the Clippers were able to land Beal. Even so, Powell was coming off a career year scoring the ball and was a reliable producer in the offensive system for the Clippers. The loss will be felt less after Beal, but it was still notable.
Brook Lopez was an interesting situation for both sides. The free-agent center reportedly opted to pass on the Lakers after watching the drama between the organization and LeBron James at the time.
The Lakers instead ended up with Ayton. While their new starting center arrived with plenty more baggage, the current situation leaves them with a more productive option than what is left of Lopez at this stage of his career.
Looking at the scoreboard, it is clear the Clippers are 3-0 against the Lakers during the 2025 offseason. However, it is definitely worth asking how much better off they really are for it.