Bradley Beal's first year with the Clippers barely happened. He played just 6 games before a fractured hip ended his season and required surgery, leaving one of the most talked-about signings of last summer as a total mystery. Now, instead of walking away, he's running it back.
Beal declined his $5.6M player option this offseason, a move that both made him an unrestricted free agent and, according to Shams Charania, freed up cap space the Clippers could use to chase other deals. He explored his market before circling back to LA, landing on a 2-year, $13.2 million deal with a player option in year 2, per multiple reporters including Chris Haynes.
The number is a discount from what Beal made last season, but the structure matters just as much as the dollars. Bobby Marks noted the Clippers used their non-Bird exception to re-sign him, with the first-year salary set at 120% of his 2025-26 pay — a mechanism that let LA bring him back without eating into other cap flexibility.
Clippers used the non bird exception on Beal. First year number is 120% of his 2025-26 salary.
Marc Stein pointed out this wasn't exactly a surprise pairing. He first flagged the possibility of a Beal-Clippers reunion on his Late Night Intel report, and roughly 48 hours later the deal was official — a fast turnaround for a player who'd been floated around the league all summer.
Not everyone assumed it would end this way. Legion Hoops noted the surprise that Beal didn't land in Miami, where reported interest had circulated during his free agency search.
JUST IN: Bradley Beal is returning to the Clippers on 2 -year, $13M deal. Surprised he didn't end up in Miami.
For the Clippers, this is a bet on health more than upside. Beal is a 3-time All-Star, but last year's 6-game, hip-fracture season means LA is largely paying to find out if he can stay on the floor. If he can, a cheap, motivated Beal reunited with a Clippers roster built to win now is a real luxury. If he can't, the 2-year money is small enough that it barely matters.