As several weeks of the regular season have passed, there is still no sign of Bradley Beal, a veteran guard who developed knee inflammation shortly after re-signing with the LA Clippers on a two-year, $13.1 million deal. He missed all of training camp and preseason and has shown no signs of returning anytime soon. In fact, the last update we’ve received on Beal was over a month ago from Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints, mentioning he isn’t involved in 5-on-5 work in practice.
All things considered, bringing Beal back was nothing but a mistake. When healthy, it’s unclear whether he’s worth the money he was paid, and he’s barely been available since debuting for the Clippers over a year ago; he’s almost always in street clothes.
Even worse, the Clippers may not be able to move him at the trade deadline, mainly because he likely has little value on the market.
The LA Clippers should’ve known better than to re-sign Bradley Beal
What was the LA Clippers’ front office thinking when they re-signed Bradley Beal? Aside from being a score-first veteran with good experience, Beal doesn’t bring much to the table.
Beal isn't that great of a defender, can’t create for others at a high rate, and isn’t someone an NBA team can count on to make an impact at this stage of his career. And, when he’s having an off night, the veteran guard is basically a liability.
Additionally, saying Beal has a lengthy injury history is an understatement. The last time he suited up for more than 65 games was 2018-19, before the Pandemic. That’s a long time ago, and over the years, he’s dealt with everything from hamstring sprains to season-ending wrist and hip injuries.
That said, it really makes me wonder why the Clippers put pen to paper with Beal. Do they know something we don’t? Or did the front office try and look at the bright side of things despite the weaknesses he presented in eight games last season?
The cherry on top is that, while paying Beal in the offseason, the Clippers opted to make the first year of his contract fully guaranteed. He’s essentially promised over $6 million, whether he plays or not.
So it makes sense we haven’t heard much about him so far. Hopefully that changes soon, though, as the Clippers need him to draw interest from teams around the league.
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