Bradley Beal’s move to the Los Angeles Clippers from the Phoenix Suns was one of the biggest this offseason. It brought to an end a tumultuous time for the guard in the Valley, and the man who orchestrated it, his agent Mark Bartelstein, recently spoke about how it all went down.
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Both Beal and the Suns had a rough 2024–25 season. Phoenix finished 11th in the West despite having Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Beal in their lineup. They didn’t even make the Play-In, which was a huge disappointment considering they were title contenders just a couple of seasons ago.
Beal was nowhere near as good as he was during his Washington Wizards days, but he still put up decent numbers, averaging 17 points per game in 53 appearances. That was enough to make him somewhat sought after. The Clippers, having traded away Norman Powell, signed him to a two-year, $11 million deal that includes a player option. Bartelstein, however, revealed that other teams were sniffing around as well.
“The interest level in Brad could not have been stronger throughout the league,” said the agent. “We had pretty much every championship contender banging down our door trying to get him, and all of those teams he would have stepped in and had a massive role.”
“We had pretty much every championship contender banging down our door trying to get him.”
Priority Sports Founder and CEO Mark Bartelstein tells @TermineRadio and @Jumpshot8 Beal will play a major starting role for the Clippers. pic.twitter.com/sATQZpKiEV
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) July 18, 2025
There has also been talk about what Beal’s role will be. In Phoenix, he made it clear that he didn’t want to be just a role player, so many wondered if he would have a significant role on a team that already features Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. Bartelstein, however, insisted that Beal will undoubtedly be a starting player in the rotation.
“He’ll be a huge part of what they’re doing going forward,” he said with confidence. “Ty Lue was incredibly excited about the things he could do with Brad. The way he can play him and James together in the backcourt. Obviously, Kawhi is one of the great players in the league there, and they got a really good team.”
It’s not certain what other “championship contenders” reached out to Beal’s camp, but the Clippers do fit into that category. They were one horrific Game 7 performance away from having a showdown with the OKC Thunder in the Conference Semifinals, a team they would have matched up well against.
Beal could be a great asset alongside Leonard and Harden, especially when one of those guys is on the bench and they need someone to play No. 2 on the offensive side. The problem is Beal’s health. He missed several games last season due to a slew of injuries, including calf problems, an ankle sprain, a toe injury, a hip contusion, and more. Hopefully, he takes the summer to get healthy for what could be a very interesting year for the Clippers next season.
