What Does Bradley Beal’s Season-Ending Injury Mean For The Clippers And What Options Do They Have?

Bradley Beal’s first season with the Los Angeles Clippers has ended before it really got started.

What Does Bradley Beal’s Season-Ending Injury Mean For The Clippers And What Options Do They Have?

Beal will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a fracture in his hip, according to ESPN’s  Shams Charania. It is expected that Beal will need six to nine months to recover, meaning the 32-year-old won’t be able to resume basketball activities until at least June.

“We met with numerous doctors and specialists around the country in collaboration with the entire Clippers medical staff over the last few days, and came to the decision unanimously that the surgery will allow Brad to have a full and complete recovery,” agent Beal’s agent Mark Bartelstein told ESPN.

Beal had been on a minutes restriction after undergoing a right knee scope in May and being limited during training camp. Clippers’ president of basketball operations, Lawrence Frank, said that Beal suffered the hip injury when he hit the floor after missing a driving fadeaway jump shot with 9:12 remaining in the second quarter on Saturday against Phoenix.

Beal, who has had his share of injuries over the last seven seasons, was hoping for a fresh start with the Clippers after being waived by Phoenix this summer. However, the 6-4 guard was limited to six games, and he struggled mightily in those games.

Beal averaged 8.0 points on 37.5% shooting from the field and finished with a dreadful 1.7-to-1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio in 20 minutes of action. He scored in double-figures just twice, though he did knock down 1.2 threes at a 36.8% clip.

“He did everything he was asked. He’s a high character guy. I feel horrible that he’s dealing with this,” Frank told NBA Insider Mark Medina about Beal. He added that doctors are “extremely optimistic he’ll make a full recovery” and said the time off will help him get over lingering “knee inflammation.”

What Is Next For The Clippers?

Los Angeles (3-8) dropped its sixth straight game last night, falling to Denver 130-116, as Nikola Jokic tossed in 55 points — tying an NBA season high. The Nuggets outshot the Clippers 52.4%-to-48.8% from the field and outrebounded them 42-to-36. Besides not having Beal, Kawhi Leonard (rest) sat out for the fifth straight contest. The six-game skid ties the Clippers’ longest losing streaks since January 21-31, 2002.

The Clippers have struggled mightily on the defensive end throughout the season. However, the 130 points are the most that the Clippers have surrendered all season. They rank 27th in defensive rating, as opponents are shooting 47.5% from the field and making a league-high 15.5 threes at a 39.4% clip, which is the second-highest in the league.

The Clippers are 19th in offensive rating, although they have scored 108 points or fewer in four of their last five games and six of their eight setbacks. Leonard leads the way with 24.3 points on 50% shooting from the field and 40% from the field, though the Clippers have been outscored by nearly eight points when he is on the court. James Harden is also playing well, though Ivica Zubac is the only other player compiling at least 15 points a contest.

What Will The Clippers Do?

LA has 14 players under contract with salaries totaling a cap hit $194.6 million. Thus leaving the Clippers $1.2 million from being hardcapped. The Clippers will likely receive a $2.68 million disabled player exception, which is half of Beal’s $5.3 million salary. However, the exception doesn’t allow the Clippers to exceed the first apron. Therefore, they will need to make another roster move to utilize the exception.

With his season already having ended, Beal is expected to pick up his $5.6 million player option next season. While his player option won’t significantly impact the Clippers’ salary situation for next season, they do have other key decisions to make in the near future. The Clippers are slated to have 12 players under contract for next season with a salary cap hit of over $175 million. But only $102 million is guaranteed.

The Clippers have made the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, though they haven’t gotten out of the first round since reaching the Western Conference finals in 2020-21. More significantly, the Clippers have finished with a .500 or better record in 14 straight seasons.

If the Clippers can’t turn things around, expect them to try to dump some of their salary. John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and perhaps Brook Lopez are the most likely options. Unless the Clippers want a total reboot and decide to move on from Leonard or Harden. The Clippers don’t have much draft capital.