All Timberwolves

Reported Wolves target Bradley Beal signs with different West contender

The Timberwolves had 'extensive conversations' with Beal, but he chose to join the Clippers.
Will Ragatz|
Jan 27, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) guards LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) during the second half at Footprint Center.
Jan 27, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) guards LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) during the second half at Footprint Center. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

In this story:

Minnesota Timberwolves

Despite their interest, the Minnesota Timberwolves will not be adding Bradley Beal to their roster for the 2025-26 season. Beal finalized a contract buyout with the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday and agreed to sign a two-year, $11 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

There had been previous reports that the Wolves were interested in Beal, the former three-time All-Star Washington Wizards guard whose two-year Suns tenure didn't go to plan. That was confirmed by Charania in his story on Wednesday.

"Personnel across several other teams — including the (Miami) Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers, sources said — pursued Beal and had extensive conversations with him and (agent Mark) Bartelstein in recent weeks," he wrote.

It feels fairly notable that the Timberwolves had interest in signing Beal. Then again, why wouldn't they? The 32-year-old remains a capable scorer, and because he's getting paid substantial money by the Suns on his buyout, he was willing to accept a very inexpensive deal with a new team. The Wolves could've used Beal as a key rotational guard off the bench, even if that isn't a glaring need for them.

With that said, the Clippers always felt like the logical landing spot for Beal after they traded Norman Powell to the Heat in a three-team deal that brought them John Collins from the Utah Jazz. On paper, this Clippers team — which lost to the Nuggets in the first round as the No. 5 last year — looks quite dangerous, health pending.

We'll have to wait and see if any sort of addition materializes for the Timberwolves over the rest of this offseason. So far, their only new players are rookie centers Joan Beringer and Rocco Zikarsky. There was a report earlier this month that they have interest in point guard Malcolm Brogdon.

Even if they don't make any sort of meaningful veteran addition this offseason, the Wolves look set to be contenders again in 2025-26. They return their entire starting lineup and seven members of last year's eight-man rotation, and they've got several young players — Terrence Shannon Jr., Rob Dillingham, and Jaylen Clark — ready to fill the void left by Nickeil Alexander-Walker's departure.

More Timberwolves coverage

Published
Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

Share on XFollow WillRagatz
Home/Minnesota Timberwolves News