RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Amid an already-existing NBA investigation, a veteran NBA analyst has openly alleged that the LA Clippers ‘illegally signed’ another player last season.
Bradley Beal joined the Clippers on a one-year, $5.3 million deal last season after his contract was bought out by the Phoenix Suns, making Beal a free agent.
Beal barely played for the Clippers after an early season-ending injury, but was re-signed to the franchise on a two-year, $13.1 million contract this offseason.
Clippers’ decision to re-sign Bradley Beal over Bennedict Mathurin leads to wild allegation
Veteran NBA analyst Nate Duncan openly claimed that the Clippers’ 2025 free agency signing of Beal came with a promise for the contract he received in 2026.
“They agreed to do that when they signed him illegally last year. It’s utterly brazen. Maybe Beal had other offers, but it’s exactly the number guaranteed next year. It made no sense to me that they would want to bring Beal back to the team with Wagler on the team.”
“Remember, the only way Bradley Beal could get out of Phoenix was by giving up so much in a buyout so that the Suns could legally stretch him… He had to give up that money to get his freedom.”
“The Clippers basically said, ‘We don’t have an exception to pay you now, but we will pay you more money to make you whole.’ That’s illegal to promise, but they clearly did it, and they followed through… They’re just doing it because they agreed to do it last year.”
Beal averaged 8.2 points in six games last season, but he will now potentially play a big role for the Clippers ahead of Wagler.
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Duncan compared this to the NBA investigating the Milwaukee Bucks for signing Gary Trent Jr., but for a much smaller amount, as Trent’s alleged ‘pre-promised’ deal led to a four-year, $64 million contract instead of Beal’s $13.1 million.
The Pelicans signing Mathurin for a deal that was $8 million annually surprised fans, because at that price, the Clippers could have just kept him instead of re-signing the 33-year-old Beal.
Whether or not the allegations have any merit is something for the NBA to investigate, but this accusation comes at a bad time for the Clippers, who are already under investigation for salary cap circumvention.
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