Suns, Bradley Beal Finally Reach Buyout

The Bradley Beal era is over.

The Phoenix Suns and Beal have reportedly reached a buyout after weeks of negotiations, according to NBA insider Shams Charania on X.

"BREAKING: Three-time NBA All-Star Bradley Beal has agreed to a contract buyout with the Phoenix Suns and plans to join the Los Angeles Clippers on a two-year, $11 million deal with a player option after clearing waivers, Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports told ESPN.

"The crux of the decision for Beal and his representation was finding the best basketball situation first and foremost once he was granted permission by the Suns to speak to interested suitors around the NBA, and Bartelstein led an exhaustive process over the last few weeks.

"Beal became extremely excited about the route to part ways after meeting with multiple interested suitors, and Bartelstein then moved forward with the Suns on completing the release Wednesday, opening the path for Beal to start a new chapter in LA.

"This now gives the Suns increased team-building flexibility by taking them out of the first and second aprons, providing access to more tradeable draft picks in the future, and opening up part of the mid-level exception to utilize."

Beal had two years left on his contract with just over $110 million remaining on his deal. After being benched earlier in the 2024-25 season, his time in the desert began ticking.

First acquired via trade from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet and draft picks, there was serious hope a new "big three" of Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker would have been strong enough to land the Suns their coveted first ever Larry O'Brien trophy.

The Suns had previously flamed out in the postseason without a strong scorer behind Durant/Booker, and Beal was only a few years removed from averaging 30 points per night before his arrival to the desert.

Stints under head coaches Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer proved to be unsuccessful for nearly everybody involved - though Beal's time in Phoenix will largely be marked by his string of injuries (exactly 53 regular season games played in both years) and overall inability to find a spot in the lineup.

For the first time in five seasons, the Suns missed the postseason entirely, and changes were made immediately with Budenholzer's firing. Phoenix also replaced general manager James Jones and dealt Kevin Durant in a blockbuster trade to the Houston Rockets.

Beal likely would have been traded previously if not for his no-trade clause. He was the final domino for the Suns' attempt to completely re-tool their team moving into the summer - and that's now fallen.

Beal is now joining Phoenix's division rivals in Los Angeles. The Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks were also reportedly in play for the three-time All-Star.