Cleveland Cavaliers Miss Out on All-Star Guard Free Agent

The Cleveland Cavaliers just received some terrible news. After two severely disappointing seasons with the Phoenix Suns, Bradley Beal has agreed to a buyout on the final year of his contract. ESPN's Shams Charania first reported that he's expected to sign a two-year, $11 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers once he clears waivers.

LA has been extremely active this offseason, working to improve a roster that won 50 games in 2024-25 but was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in a thrilling seven-game series against the Denver Nuggets. Through some shrewd financial maneuvering, using their location and star power to their advantage, the Clippers have made some notable additions: John Collins, Brook Lopez, and, now, Bradley Beal.

Bradley Beal would have been a huge addition for the Cleveland Cavaliers

As a second-apron team, the Cleveland Cavaliers have limited avenues to add talent and try to improve a roster coming off 64 wins, a first-place finish in the Eastern Conference, and a third early exit from the playoffs in a row. As currently constructed, they'll only be able to sign players to veteran minimum deals, lest they hard cap themselves above the second apron and incur the full wrath of its penalties.

They could also make moves on the trade market, but they're restricted there, too. Most notably, they're unable to aggregate salaries, acquire more money than they send out, or include cash in a deal. They could theoretically make moves to duck under the second apron, but that would be a tough endeavor, albeit not impossible.

Because of their financial situation, adding a player on the buyout market like Bradley Beal would have been a huge boon to their title push next season. Instead, they may have to go head-to-head against him and the LA Clippers, should they both make it out of their respective conferences.

Despite his overstated struggles with the Suns, he still averaged 17.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists on 51 percent shooting from the field and 41 percent marks from deep in his two years in Phoenix. His presence would have been a huge addition for a Cavs team that often struggled to create offense outside of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell's on-ball wizardry. Alas, they'll have to turn to the available free agents they can target on veteran minimum deals instead.