Although he made three All-Star teams during his time with the Washington Wizards, Bradley Beal’s name is synonymous with pain in The Valley for Phoenix Suns fans.
Now, a Pacific Division rival is learning the same lesson the Suns had to learn the hard way.
The L.A. Clippers’ decision to sign Beal after he agreed to a contract buyout with the Suns was listed among the top 10 worst NBA deals since the 2025 offseason, according to ESPN’s Zach Kram.
Kram’s reasoning goes beyond just Beal, though, as another former Suns player the Clippers acquired already underwent an unceremonious end to what should have been a fun farewell tour.
Future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul was also acquired by the Clippers in the offseason, but the 40-year-old veteran was released in December amid what ESPN described as “clashes with management.”
Clippers adding Beal, CP3 ranked among worst NBA deals since 2025
While adding Beal and Paul clearly backfired on the Clippers this season, it’s exacerbated by the fact that the signings were necessitated by Los Angeles trading away guard Norman Powell in a three-team deal to acquire power forward John Collins.
While Kram writes that Collins has held up his end of the deal — averaging 13.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while converting 55.2% of his field goals and a career-high 40.3% of his 3-pointers — Powell, on the other hand, became a first-time All-Star with the Miami Heat. He’s averaging a career-high 22.2 points per game in South Beach while sinking 38.4% of his long range attempts.
CP3 and Beal were viewed as Powell replacements in LA. Beal averaged 8.2 points per game on 37.5% shooting from the field in six games before undergoing season-ending hip surgery. Paul was even less of a factor, averaging 2.9 points per game on a career worst 32.1% shooting before essentially being forced into retirement.
“If the Clippers make good use of the cap space they're not devoting to a Powell extension this summer, they could reap some long-term benefit from this swap in a roundabout way,” Kram writes. “But there's no sugarcoating the disastrous impact it had on their 2025-26 campaign.”
Powell is now in his age-32 season, so moving on from him to get slightly younger with the 28-year-old Collins wasn’t a horrible decision even as Powell breaks out with his first All-Star nod.
Collins will also be a free agent at season’s end, so the cap space he provides will ultimately determine the Clippers’ future. Nonetheless, it’s a tough look for a team with prime Kawhi Leonard in tow to have put so few impact players around him.
The down year in part prompted LA to deal away James Harden and Ivica Zubac to further retool the roster.
Now, the Clippers might be looking at a make-or-break offseason.