Bradley Beal keeping LA Clippers on edge

Bradley Beal has been a proverbial thorn in the LA Clippers side since he first entered the NBA in 2012. In his first ever meeting against LA, Beal sauntered onto the court as a baby-faced 19-year-old. Although raw, the former number three overall pick went on to score 13 points.

After getting his feet wet, however, Beal went on to punish the Clippers in back-to-back meetings, scoring 20 and 29 points in just his second and third matchups against LA. As a seasoned vet now, Beal has tormented Clipper Nation, averaging 28 points per game over his past three ball games against the Clippers.

Yet, despite his penchant for swooping to the hoop, drawing fouls, and connecting on backbreaking 3-pointers, Beal has spent the entirety of his career on the other side of the basketball world in Washington. Nevertheless, with the Wizards continuing to languish in basketball purgatory with no clear direction, Beal could be on the move.

Bradley Beal on the Lakers would be a nightmare for the LA Clippers

The former multiple-time All-Star is coming off an injury-hit season in the nation’s capital but still scorched opposing defenders to the tune of 23.2 points per game. As free agency draws near, Beal is likely to opt out of the final year of his contract. In doing so, he would become an unrestricted free agent.

Although Washington could entice the former All-NBA performer to continue donning their uniform by offering him a five-year contract worth $246 million, Beal has plenty of options. Amongst them, would be the Los Angeles Lakers, the Clippers’ down-the-hall rivals.

Ultimately, with the NBA world becoming his oyster, Beal revealed that he’s pondered long and hard over his future. Unlike most, the soon-to-be 29-year-old isn’t interested in protracting his offseason. In fact, Beal recently revealed that his mind has already made when it comes to where he’ll be playing next.

Having owned the Los Angeles Lakers for the past few seasons, registering a record of 7-32 over the past 39 head-to-head showdowns, if Beal decides that playing on the Lakers is his best path to an NBA title, that could spell doom for the Clippers.

This past season, after battling through a sea of injuries, the Clippers compiled a record of 42-40. Despite their solid results, however, LA just missed out on one of the final few postseason slots. With the 2022-23 season expected to be a much more fruitful one, the Clippers have championship aspirations. Be that as it may, while Ty Lue led his Clipper squad to a 3-0 record against the Lakers this past season, if Beal decides that he would like to play the second half of his career in a Laker uniform, the Clippers will have an arduous road ahead of them.