When Tyronn Lue announced pregame Monday that Bradley Beal was out vs. Atlanta, the Clippers coach was asked, “Is there a concern that Brad’s injury might be beyond just this game?”
“Yes.”
That answer raised red flags. Now comes news that Beal has a fractured hip that will require surgery and he will miss the remainder of this season. The timeline for his recovery is six to nine months, [a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN](https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1988699718948647176) and since confirmed by other sources.
The injury occurred against Phoenix on Saturday when he attempted to take a charge, fell awkwardly on his hip and left the game not to return.
This comes as a real blow to the Clippers, who have stumbled to a 3-7 start to the season and are currently without Kawhi Leonard due to a sprained ankle. The Clippers were banking on Beal to step in and fill the scoring, playmaking role that Norman Powell did at a near All-Star level for them last season, but he has looked slow (a problem across the board for Los Angeles) and is averaging 8.7 points a game in the six games he got into, shooting just 37.5% from the floor.
"\[Beal\] is a starter for us. He’s gonna play...” Lue had said just a week before. “We can’t just move him to the side, he’s a big part of what we’re trying to do. We got to bring him along slow, we got to be smart about it, and we just can’t rush the process.”
Now Lue needs to come up with another plan. Expect a lot more Kris Dunn (which is good for the Clippers’ defense) and Cam Christie with Beal now out.
Beal has battled injuries for years, including offseason knee surgery this summer. He has not played more than 65 games in a season since 2019.
The Clippers signed Beal for the taxpayer mid-level exception of $5.4 million this season, and he has a player option for $5.6 million next season.