Bradley Beal Suns Buyout: Meet the NBA's Newest Big 3

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sam Dunn | Last updated Jul 16, 2025 4:21 PM ET

The prolific scorer and celebrated Florida Gators alum has a brand new NBA home after two seasons in Phoenix.

A new NBA season will officially mean a fresh start for veteran shooting guard Bradley Beal -- and he'll have the pleasure of joining another superstar big three out west.

After rumors swirled for months about a possible breakup of the Phoenix Suns' power trio of Beal, Kevin Durant, and Devin Booker, the first shoe dropped in June just ahead of the NBA Draft when Durant found himself shipped to the Houston Rockets.

Now, the Slim Reaper's former teammate has a new home himself.

As first reported by ESPN insider Shams Charania, Beal agreed Wednesday to a buyout with the Suns, ending the titanic five-year, $251 million deal he signed as a member of the Washington Wizards two years early -- and that the celebrated former Florida Gator immediately cleared waivers and signed with a rival team in free agency.

Mark it down: Bradley Beal is the newest member of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Beal, the Washington Wizards' No. 3 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft out of Florida, spent the first 11 seasons of his career in the nation's capital. He averaged 21.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game with the Wiz, earning three All-Star selections and a 2021 All-NBA Third Team nod. Following the 2021-22 season, he became just the second player in league history after Denver's Nikola Jokić to sign a contract worth more than a quarter of a billion dollars.

Just one year later, he was dealt to the Suns to chase championship dreams at long last, but the ambitious team up with D-Book and KD didn't pan out as fans in the Valley hoped. Phoenix was swept in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves and missed the postseason entirely this year, limping to the finish line with a 36-46 record.

All told, injuries limited Beal to just 106 games in two seasons in a Suns jersey. To his credit, he toughed it out, averaging 17.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.3 assists on 50.5% shooting from the field with the team.

Now, a new chapter begins in Inglewood as part of another big three alongside future Hall of Famers James Harden and Kawhi Leonard.

Let's take a closer look at Bradley Beal's contract with the LA Clippers, who finished last season 50-32 and earned the No. 5 playoff seed in the Western Conference.