A Bradley Beal Clippers contract re-signing may have turned some heads, but it could be a great way to make some extra money. He was getting interest from some contending teams, such as the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics, but ultimately decided to re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers on a two-year, $13.2 million deal.
For a player who hasn’t been on a championship-aspiring team his entire career, why did Beal make this choice? It might not have been the best decision, legacy-wise, but financially, this could be a great way to get one last decently sized contract to finish his career.
A lot of players make their decisions based on the money aspect, and it seems like that’s exactly what Beal had in mind with this signing. He’s staying with a Los Angeles team that doesn’t have many scoring options outside of Darius Garland and Rui Hachimura. Benedict Mathurin could be added to that last, but it’s not certain he’ll be back with the Clippers, as he’s a restricted free agent. Beal will have the green light to get his shots up, and he isn’t a throwaway. Beal is only a couple of years removed from shooting a blistering 43% from the three-point line in the 2023-24 season.
Beal can certainly light it up fast, even though last season’s stats might say otherwise, as he averaged just 8.2 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game in six outings. He suffered a severe left hip injury that caused him to miss most of last season. He might need a whole season and offseason to get back to his old self. People forget that Beal averaged 30 or more points per game in back-to-back seasons; this isn’t any ordinary scorer. Sure, he’s 33 years old, but his game doesn’t rely too heavily on athleticism, which works in his favor.
Why was this move so important for Beal? He gets to prove his worth on a team that isn’t trying to contend. It means he can get his shots up, but also that he can decline his player option for the second season. If he performs well in the first season and stays healthy, he could easily see another contract worth ten million or more per year. The main thing with Beal is his health, as he hasn’t played over 60 games in a season since 2020-21, when he averaged 31.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game.
This could be a great opportunity for Beal, as he’ll strive for that last big contract in the league, but it could also work against him. If he doesn’t perform well with Los Angeles or can’t stay healthy like the past few seasons, he could very well play himself out of the league. This is obviously not the result he wants, but he’ll have a chance to put up some statistics on a team that most likely won’t make the playoffs or the play-in tournament. The numbers he puts up might not mean much regarding winning, but they’ll mean all that much for his next payday.
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Things don’t always go according to plan, but Beal seems to know his intentions when signing this deal. It would be hard to imagine him not putting up at least 15 points per game, especially when you look at the scoring options on the roster. He might not be a part of winning basketball next season, but that won’t make it any less important.
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