Not to make a bad situation worse as we all come to terms with the Miles Bridges trade by the Phoenix Suns, but remember Bradley Beal?
The former All-Star the franchise had to waive-and-stretch in order to move on from a couple of underwhelming campaigns in which he spent more time on the treatment table than anywhere else.
Beal hits unrestricted free agency after declining player option
On a day when Ja Morant (thankfully the Suns didn't try and bring him to Phoenix as well) was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, Beal declining the $5.6 million player option on the final year of his two-year contract with the L.A. Clippers understandably got less coverage.
Los Angeles Clippers guard Bradley Beal has declined his $5.6 million player option for next season, making him an unrestricted free agent, Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/FCsICEbRgP
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2026
It is unclear where he will even play next, given roster spots are filling up quick and he required hip surgery which limited his Los Angeles adventure to only six appearances. Somehow still more than the four postseason showings he had while in The Valley.
But Beal doesn't have to worry about where his next contract is going to appear from a financial standpoint, and at this point he can do it all for the love of the game. That's because the Suns still owe him over $77 million going right through to 2030, at which point he will have been paid $110 million overall not to play for the Suns.
Perhaps the Washington Wizards will bring one of their favorite sons back to finish out his career on a minimum deal. Maybe the Golden State Warriors, in their pursuit of creating an "All Nursery Home" squad will feel the need to have Beal as their 10th man ahead of next season.
Wherever he ends up, and there is a chance that nobody will pick him up although he surely wouldn't have opted out of his current deal, the Suns will be paying him a lot of money to be there.
Which was a necessary evil when they were trying to rebuild the culture in Phoenix, which they managed to do with a loveable group last season.
Those good vibes have vanished with the arrival of Bridges however, and cast buying Beal out in a different light as well. We recently gave General Manager Brian Gregory his flowers, but we may just have to rethink that one.
Beal is going to be playing basketball for the rest of his career largely on the Suns' dime, which allowed him to walk away from a guaranteed payday and spot in the NBA next season in pursuit of a better situation. Tough to take.
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