After declining his player option earlier in the summer, everyone expected Bradley Beal’s time with the LA Clippers to be over. Well, surprisingly, the Clippers re-signed him on a two-year, $13.2 million deal, with plans to likely bring him off the bench as the sixth man.
Free agent Bradley Beal has agreed to a two-year, $13.2 million deal to return to the Los Angeles Clippers, with a player option in the second season, Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/RzLqjDv5hy
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 13, 2026
The ripple effect of this signing has everything to do with Kris Dunn, and how he might be gone soon. There are simply too many guards in head coach Tyronn Lue’s active rotation for an offensively limited player like Dunn, and beyond that, including him in a trade for someone the Clippers are desperately after, Peyton Watson, creates a simple pathway for the Denver Nuggets to stay under the second apron (other minor moves would have to be made).
Initially, bringing Beal back, who has a ton of concerns and didn’t play much last season, seems shocking, but on second thought, it’s clear what the Clippers’ thought process was.
Kris Dunn is probably soon going to be on his way out of LA
Although Kris Dunn’s time with the LA Clippers was a blast, as he did all of the dirty work on both ends of the floor, was an exceptional mentor off the court, and left behind countless memories, Bradley Beal was prioritized over him because he offers something the defensive specialist doesn’t: consistent shooting.
It’s extremely tough for a team like the Clippers to distribute legitimate playing time to a guard that cannot hit shots from beyond the arc at a high level in the modern era, even if he is a great defender. There’s a possibility where they can become a liability, and that’s a risk not worth taking.
So, unfortunately, Dunn saw the short end of the stick.
As far as a trade with the Denver Nuggets goes, Dunn is one of the only realistic players who could be included.
The Clippers, following the signing of Beal, might be open to parting ways, while David Adelman and the Nuggets would benefit tremendously from rostering Dunn.
Dunn would be one of the best backup options in the league for Jamal Murray, and because he is excellent at cutting and moving around off the ball, Nikola Jokic would bring the best out of him.
That said, Dunn’s last minutes as a Clipper may have already been played. As sad as it is, the NBA is a business at the end of the day.
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