Bradley Beal's Clippers Return Means End of Bennedict Mathurin's Time in LA

The Los Angeles Clippers signed Bradley Beal to a new two-year deal on Thursday night. The 33-year-old shooting guard is back in LA after missing almost the entire season after undergoing hip surgery.

This move came as a surprise to a lot of Clippers fans. Given where the franchise is, this is understandable. The Clippers have made an effort to get younger since the trade deadline, so signing a 33-year-old with a serious injury history when the focus needs to be on the future doesn't really align with that effort.

Beal's return will also augur more changes to the roster. The most important impact will be on Bennedict Mathurin and his restricted free agency.

Clippers Are Unlikely to Bring Bennedict Mathurin Back After Signing Beal

The Clippers were reportedly in talks with Mathurin to bring him back for at least another season. Beal's return all but ends that possibility.

Assuming the Kawhi Leonard trade goes through, the Clippers have 16 players under contract for next season. One player has to depart before the season. Assuming that's going to be Cam Christie, who is on a non-guaranteed deal, the Clippers would have to find another departure candidate if they wanted to make room for Mathurin.

The problem is that the Clippers really don't need Mathurin now. LA has Keaton Wagler, Kris Dunn, Gradey Dick, and Kobe Sanders, in addition to Beal, who can play shooting guard. Mathurin, who is essentially a one-position player, doesn't fit into that rotation. Unless the Clippers trade Dick or Dunn, it's difficult to see how there are enough minutes to go around.

It seems like the Clippers have chosen Beal over Mathurin. Given that Beal is nine years older than Mathurin, this may be surprising for a team without serious postseason aspirations.

This means that Mathurin is now a sign-and-trade candidate. The Clippers have Bird rights on Mathurin, which means that they can pay him more than other teams. There aren't too many teams with cap space around the league that can give Mathurin what he is looking for on the open market. Therefore, the best way he can land on a team of his choosing is through a sign-and-trade with the Clippers.

However, the Clippers don't have too much leverage here, so they are unlikely to get much in return. There is also the possibility that a team just signs Mathurin to an offer sheet. The Clippers would then have to decide whether to match that offer or not. This would lead to losing Mathurin for nothing. But Beal's return suggests that the Clippers might not mind that scenario all that much.

Add us as a preferred source on Google