Clippers Can Already Give Up On the Idea of Bradley Beal As a Contributor This Season

The LA Clippers have been desperately short-handed since the start of the season. Three and a half weeks into the season, the Clippers still have multiple key contributors on the injury report. The absences of Brandon Ingram, Bradley Beal, Yanic Konan Niederhauser, and Jordan Miller are a big factor in why the Clippers are off to a 3-8 start.

At least Ingram and Konan Niederhauser are inching towards a return. Miller will miss several more months as he is recovering from rotator cuff surgery. The most frustrating injury of them all is Bradley Beal's. And it doesn't sound like the 33-year-old shooting guard will be able to contribute much to the Clippers.

Injured Bradley Beal Is Unlikely to Provide Much for the Clippers This Season

Beal has been out since the start of training camp. It was revealed that he was having trouble with his knee as he was attempting to ramp up after his season-ending hip surgery last season.

Clippers fans are all too familiar with the designation "knee injury management' on the injury report. After dealing with Kawhi Leonard's troublesome knee for years, they now see Beal listed as out with the same designation for every game.

And unfortunately, it doesn't sound like Beal is trending in the right direction whatsoever. The updates have been few and far between. One of the only times head coach Ty Lue spoke about it was on Thursday.

The Athletic's Law Murray asked Lue about Beal. He responded, "Every time we get him on the court to do something three days in a row, then it's like, it's not good results."

The fact that Beal can't go through three consecutive days of training is very worrisome. It has been over a year since Beal last played a game. It has been over a month and a half since the Clippers got back together for training camp. If his knee is acting up in consecutive days of workouts, the chances of him getting up to game speed and surviving the NBA season are very low.

At this point, it's a matter of if, rather than when, Beal plays another game in a Clippers uniform. This raises questions about the Clippers' decision to give Beal not only a new contract but also a pay raise this season.

Beal makes $6.4 million this season and has a player option for $6.7 million next season. This essentially makes him untradeable since that is over $13 million in dead money on the books. The Clippers could offload that deal by attaching draft capital, but they can't be in the business of losing more draft picks to get rid of bad salary.

Considering that Beal isn't coming back any time soon, the Clippers' need for more ball-handling and shot creation becomes more obvious. Whether the interim front office will do anything about it, however, remains to be seen.

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