Clippers' Puzzling Bradley Beal Decision Is Costing the Clippers Their Season

The Los Angeles Clippers desperately need Bradley Beal. And for the second straight season, the 33-year-old shooting guard isn't there to answer the call.

Of course, this isn't Beal's fault. His injury struggles are as well-documented as any player's in the league. It's the Clippers' fault for continuing to put their trust in Beal.

Clippers Front Office Failed This Team With Their Bradley Beal Mistake

Beal has yet to make his season debut for the Clippers. Injury updates have been few and far between. He has been getting ruled out of games a day in advance with the designation "right knee injury management."

The veteran shooting guard has been dealing with this issue since the start of training camp. There was inflammation in his right knee on the first day of camp. This was explained as something that popped up as Beal was trying to ramp up from last season's hip surgery. Over a month later, there doesn't seem to be much progress, and it's costing the Clippers.

LA needs more shot creation and playmaking. With Brandon Ingram also sidelined, the Clippers simply don't have enough offensive juice. This puts a ton on Darius Garland's shoulders, and the former All-Star point guard is struggling to be effective with that type of offensive burden.

Beal was supposed to be that player. He was re-signed in the offseason, even though he only played six games last season. Not only was he retained, but the Clippers also gave him a pay raise for some incomprehensible reason.

After turning down his $5.6 million player option for the season, Beal got a new, two-year, $11 million deal from the Clippers. Once again, it includes a player option for next season. Who the Clippers were bidding against and why they felt like they had to pay him anything more than his player option will forever be a mystery.

To make matters worse, the Clippers chose Beal over Bennedict Mathurin. They could have re-signed Mathurin for the same price, but they decided another shooting guard, nine years older and more injury-prone, was a better fit for the team.

Mathurin isn't a perfect player, but he could have certainly helped the Clippers. LA could use any shot creation and scoring they can get, and if Mathurin can do one thing, it's put the ball in the basket.

Beal's outlook for the season isn't looking promising. His body continues to betray him, and at this point, it's difficult to imagine him staying healthy long enough to be an important part of this team.

This puts the Clippers in a difficult spot. As much criticism as Garland deserves for his play, context matters. Beal has failed him. But more importantly, the Clippers' front office, which re-signed Beal instead of building a capable roster around Garland, failed him.

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