Our exit interview series on the 2026 Clippers begins with Bradley Beal, perhaps the most disappointing individual player season on what was a very disappointing team.
Basic Information
Height: 6’4
Weight: 207 pounds
Position: Shooting Guard
Age: 32
Years in NBA: 14
Key Regular Season Stats (for Clippers): 8.2 points, 1.7 assists, 0.8 rebounds, 0.5 steals, and 1.5 turnovers in 20.2 minutes per game across 6 games played (all starts) on 37.5/36.8/75 (3.2 3PA and 1.3 FTA) shooting splits (47.6 True Shooting)
Expectations
By and large, the expectations for Beal after he came to the Clippers on a buyout deal at the taxpayer midlevel exception last summer were that he would be the starting shooting guard next to James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, John Collins, and Ivica Zubac. There was some discussion that Beal would come off the bench, and the Clippers would keep a defense-first player in that spot (Kris Dunn or Derrick Jones Jr.), but most people suspected that part of the deal of Beal signing with the team was getting the starting spot. While it had been years since Beal made an All-Star team, he had been pretty good for the Suns in the 2024 season before a disappointing 2025 campaign, so the idea that at age 32 Beal could turn in a pretty comparable season seemed reasonable. I’d say statistically, expectations were for Beal to score in the mid to high teens, contribute as a playmaker and rebounder, and step up on defense while serving as the Clippers’ best off-ball shooter.
Reality
Things got off to an ominous start when it came out before training camp that Beal would be limited due to some offseason knee troubles. Beal gradually got acclimated as training camp got along, and was ready for the start of the season, but had to play on a minutes restriction that made his rotations (and that of the entire team) odd. Beal played in the Clippers’ first two regular season games, but only got just over 20 minutes in each game, and barely did anything in either.
Beal then missed the next two games due to a back injury (not a good sign, back injuries are tricky) before returning for the following two games, in which he also played just over 20 minutes, but did slightly more in them. Incredibly, the second of those contests, a November 3 loss to the Heat, ended up being Beal’s best performance of the season, as he scored 12 points on 5-8 shooting and chipped in 2 assists, 1 rebound, and 1 steal (though he did have 3 turnovers). Beal then sat out the second night of a back-to-back before playing twice against his old team, the Phoenix Suns. Beal took a fall in the game on November 8 and came up grimacing a bit, but it didn’t seem like much.
Well, a couple days later, Beal was ruled out for the rest of the season with a hip fracture. He played in just six games for the team, was not a true positive in any of the games he played, and threw the team’s entire plans off balance between the minutes restriction, nagging injuries, and finally the season-ending blow. You can’t blame Beal for his injuries, but he utterly failed in his projected role as the Norm Powell replacement, and his disastrous signing was one of the main factors in the Clippers starting off the season so poorly. If they just hadn’t signed him and instead started Kris Dunn from the get-go without having to plan for incorporating Beal only to have him be ineffective and then lose him entirely, this season might have gone differently. Alas.
Future with Clippers
Beal has a player option for $5,621,700 for next year, and it’s going to be interesting to see whether he will pick it up. On one hand, after his disastrous season, it seems unlikely that Beal will get more money than that on the open market (I’d guess he’d get a minimum). NBA players, even ones that have made as much as Beal, generally care about their salary, especially keeping themselves above the minimum (players feel like once you’re on a minimum, it’s hard to get off them). On the other hand, the Clippers are almost certainly not going to be the contender that Beal thought they were when he signed up last summer, and at this stage of Beal’s career he might want to join a team with a shot to win a title. Ultimately, I’d guess Beal is on the team next year, at which point the question is whether he will be part of the team’s plans or whether he will mostly just serve as a tradable salary. Hopefully Beal can play, plays well, and is able to rehab his value while helping the Clippers win some games.
