Bradley Beal Rejected The Lakers Before Joining James Harden, Kawhi Leonard At Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers have signed Bradley Beal on a two-year, $11 million contract after he agreed on a contract buyout with the Phoenix Suns. Following the news, it was reported that three additional teams are in the race to sign Bradley Beal, with the Clippers being his eventual landing spot: the Lakers, Warriors, and Bucks. 

According to Brett Siegel, an NBA insider with ClutchPoints, the Lakers held extensive talks with Bradley Beal's representation after the Suns bought out his contract. However, it was Beal who refused to go to the Lakers. He also suggests that the Miami Heat were also interested in Beal, but their resources were limited after trading for Norman Powell. 

"Beal did not show a lot of interest in playing for the Lakers despite the team holding extensive conversations with him and his representation, league sources told @ClutchPoints."

"The Bucks made a very strong push to sign Bradley Beal, who was interested in MIL, league sources told @ClutchPoints. 

The Heat were only able to offer a minimum contract after trading for Norman Powell.

Golden State also wasn’t willing to offer more than the minimum."

Bradley Beal eventually rejected all these offers to join the Clippers for a potential chance at a championship ring this season. While experts believed the Lakers would not be a good fit for Beal, the Bucks and Heat could've been golden opportunities for Beal as well.

With the Bucks waiving Damian Lillard, they needed a primary ball handler, and Beal could've been a reliable short-term replacement for Lillard. Yet the Bucks could not convince him to join, despite his considerable interest. 

Additionally, the Warriors were also not able to offer Beal more than a veteran minimum contract, reportedly due to their situation with Jonathan Kuminga. 

Beal averaged 17.0 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.3 rebounds in his last season with the Suns. While his offensive efficiency is nowhere close to where it was in his days with the Washington Wizards, he can still be a solid addition to a roster lacking experience in the backcourt, and hence would've been a good fit with the Bucks. 

The Heat, who were the second-best fit for Beal in my opinion, would've given Beal a good chance to compete in the Playoffs and potentially play for the Eastern Conference title with Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Then the question remains, why did Beal decide to join the Clippers when these two teams needed him and gave him a better shot?

According to Shams Charania, ESPN's NBA Insider, James Harden, the Clippers' point guard who signed a contract extension this summer, convinced Beal to join them in LA to potentially contend for a championship alongside him and Kawhi Leonard. Looking at the Clippers' current depth would leave any good championship-contending team in sweats.