Should the Clippers Be Interested in Bringing Back Bradley Beal?

The Los Angeles Clippers are still waiting for the results of the league's cap circumvention investigation before finishing out their offseason business. Still, the assumption is that the Clippers and the Raptors will go through with the Kawhi Leonard trade. So, the Clippers have to conduct business like they have Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick on the roster rather than Leonard.

Amid the uncertainty, the Clippers have to build out a roster that can compete in the Western Conference. Since they don't control their own 2027 first-round pick, the Clippers have no incentive to tank. Instead, they will try to win as many games as possible, which means building the most competitive roster possible.

With that in mind, they have a few roster decisions to make. One of them involves free agent Bradley Beal. After turning down his $5.6 million player option for next season, the 33-year-old shooting guard is an unrestricted free agent. He has yet to sign with a new team, and a return to the Clippers remains a possibility.

Clippers Aren't Ruling Out a Bradley Beal Return (And That's Not A Bad Thing)

In fact, NBA insider Jake Fischer revealed in his livestream for Bleacher Report that Beal could still go back to LA. The Heat and the Celtics are reportedly interested in the veteran shooting guard, but re-signing with the Clippers shouldn't be ruled out.

This makes sense. Even though the Clippers are entering a post-Kawhi Leonard era, the same decision-makers who signed Beal last summer are still there. GM Lawrence Frank and head coach Ty Lue made an effort to bring Beal in, even trading Norman Powell to make room for him.

Beal's Clippers tenure obviously didn't go according to plan. He played only six games before undergoing season-ending hip surgery. When he was on the court, he didn't look particularly impactful.

There will be Clippers fans who will not like the idea of having Beal back. They will be interested in bringing in younger players to build for the future, especially after how poorly last season went for Beal.

Obviously, it depends on the contract it takes to bring Beal back, but it's not a bad idea to have Beal on this team.

The three-time All-Star is still a decent fit on the Clippers. Unlike Bennedict Mathurin and Jonathan Kuminga, who are reportedly on the Clippers' radar, Beal can shoot and play off the ball. He spaces the floor and makes things easier for the likes of Darius Garland, Keaton Wagler, and Brandon Ingram. He is also a very good passer for a shooting guard. He can run the pick-and-roll and put his teammates in the right positions to succeed.

This makes Beal a much better half-court player than Kuminga and Mathurin. Sure, he is much older, is an injury risk, and isn't going to play as much as those players.

Because of this, he will also not cost as much as them. If the Clippers can bring Beal back around the same salary that he was on last season (between $5 and $6 million), he has a chance to outplay that deal. He would have to stay healthy, but his fit is undeniable. For a backup who will play around 20-25 minutes, the Clippers could do much worse than Beal.

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