Bradley Beal Rejected Lakers Before Joining James Harden, Kawhi Leonard At Clippers

According to NBA Insider Brett Seigel, Bradley Beal refused to join the Lakers despite extensive conversation between his representation and the team.

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Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Clippers have signed Bradley Beal on a two-year, $11 million contract after he agreed on a contract buyout with the Phoenix Suns. Following the news, it was reported that three additional teams are in the race to sign Bradley Beal, with the Clippers being his eventual landing spot: the Lakers, Warriors, and Bucks. 

According to Brett Siegel, an NBA insider with ClutchPoints, the Lakers held extensive talks with Bradley Beal’s representation after the Suns bought out his contract. However, it was Beal who refused to go to the Lakers. He also suggests that the Miami Heat were also interested in Beal, but their resources were limited after trading for Norman Powell. 

“Beal did not show a lot of interest in playing for the Lakers despite the team holding extensive conversations with him and his representation, league sources told ClutchPoints.”

“The Bucks made a very strong push to sign Bradley Beal, who was interested in MIL, league sources told @ClutchPoints. 

The Heat were only able to offer a minimum contract after trading for Norman Powell.

Golden State also wasn’t willing to offer more than the minimum.”

Bradley Beal eventually rejected all these offers to join the Clippers for a potential chance at a championship ring this season. While experts believed the Lakers would not be a good fit for Beal, the Bucks and Heat could’ve been golden opportunities for Beal as well.

With the Bucks waiving Damian Lillard, they needed a primary ball handler, and Beal could’ve been a reliable short-term replacement for Lillard. Yet the Bucks could not convince him to join, despite his considerable interest. 

Additionally, the Warriors were also not able to offer Beal more than a veteran minimum contract, reportedly due to their situation with Jonathan Kuminga

Beal averaged 17.0 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.3 rebounds in his last season with the Suns. While his offensive efficiency is nowhere close to where it was in his days with the Washington Wizards, he can still be a solid addition to a roster lacking experience in the backcourt, and hence would’ve been a good fit with the Bucks. 

The Heat, who were the second-best fit for Beal in my opinion, would’ve given Beal a good chance to compete in the Playoffs and potentially play for the Eastern Conference title with Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Then the question remains, why did Beal decide to join the Clippers when these two teams needed him and gave him a better shot?

According to Shams Charania, ESPN’s NBA Insider, James Harden, the Clippers’ point guard who signed a contract extension this summer, convinced Beal to join them in LA to potentially contend for a championship alongside him and Kawhi Leonard. Looking at the Clippers’ current depth would leave any good championship-contending team in sweats. 

Do you think the Lakers would’ve been a better fit for Beal? And are the Clippers now title contenders with Beal on their roster? Let us know what you think in the comments section.

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Chaitanya Dadhwal is an NBA Analyst and Columnist at Fadeaway World from New Delhi, India. He fell in love with basketball in 2018 after seeing James Harden in his prime. He joined the sports journalism world in 2021, one year before finishing his law school in 2022. He attended Jindal Global Law School in Sonipat, India, where his favorite subject was also Sports Law.He transitioned from law to journalism after realizing his true passion for sports and basketball in particular. Even though his journalism is driven by his desire to understand both sides of an argument and give a neutral perspective, he openly admits he is biased towards the Houston Rockets and Arsenal. But that intersection of in-depth analysis and passion helps him simplify the fine print and complex language for his readers.His goal in life is to open his own sports management agency one day and represent athletes. He wants to ensure he can help bridge the gap in equal opportunity for athletes across various sports and different genders playing the same sport.
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