The Clippers are making significant offseason moves in 2025.
LA is set to bring in three-time All-Star Bradley Beal, who spent the past two seasons with the Suns. Beal and the Suns reached a buyout agreement on Wednesday, July 16, paving the way for the Clippers to sign Beal on a two-year deal worth $11 million, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
The addition to Beal comes after LA motioned to acquire big man John Collins from the Jazz in a three-team deal that also sent Norman Powell to the Heat. While the Suns did not experience much team success, Beal averaged 17.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists over 53 games in 2024-25.
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With the abundance of changes, here is how Beal will fit with a revamped Clippers lineup in 2025-26.
MORE: Why Bradley Beal is signing with the Clippers after leaving Phoenix
Clippers 2025 lineup projection
The Clippers are gearing up for their sixth season under head coach Tyronn Lue and look to build off of a 50-32 record in the 2024-25 season.
Position | Player |
PG | James Harden |
SG | Bradley Beal |
SF | Kawhi Leonard |
PF | John Collins |
C | Ivica Zubac |
Both Beal and Collins will presumably start for the Clippers, joining James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Ivica Zubac. This is notable in that Leonard would slide back to the small forward position after playing more of a power forward role in lineups last season.
In a sense, LA's decision to move Powell becomes a one-for-two swap, as it paved the way for the acquisition of Beal and Collins.
Lue will almost inevitably experiment with lineups, as LA's depth pieces include Nicolas Batum, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., and newly signed big man Brook Lopez. Even if Beal is locked into a starting role, he'll spend some time alongside lineups that heavily rely on members of the second unit.
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What Bradley Beal brings to the Clippers lineup
Offensively, Beal provides some on-ball creation and a different kind of scoring punch alongside Harden. Defensively, the duo may have some flaws, but the presence of Leonard and Zubac should make up for any perceived deficiencies.
The offensive side of things has always been Beal's calling card, and that will remain true as he begins his next chapter in Los Angeles.
Beal is a career 37.2 percent 3-point shooter, who, more recently, shot 40.7 percent from deep with the Suns. He'll benefit from the playmaking of Harden, who averaged 8.7 assists per game in 2024-25.
The Clippers will have a different dynamic offensively, as Beal is a very skilled player off the bounce, creating for himself and others thanks to his ball-handling ability. He was tasked with some playmaking responsibilities in Phoenix and can do so when called upon in LA.
Of course, health will be the key to unlocking the Clippers' potential, but Beal's abilities should allow him to step into a larger role if and when any member of the starting lineup misses time.
LA is not a young team, and key players will likely miss time for planned absences, if nothing else. Beal is more than capable of stepping up to take on a larger role as a scorer or distributor, giving his team another option to call upon on nights when Harden or Leonard may be unavailable.
Plenty has to go right for the Clippers to reach their full potential, but Beal is a great safety valve in spots where things go wrong.