In an offseason defined by transformation, and for some, a long-overdue ‘realignment’, the Phoenix Suns have officially dismantled their overrated and underperforming Big Three completely.
The experiment is over.
Kevin Durant has been traded to the Houston Rockets, and now, Bradley Beal has been bought out of his contract. A bold era built on star power ends not with a championship, but with a costly reset.
BREAKING: Three-time NBA All-Star Bradley Beal has agreed to a contract buyout with the Phoenix
ADSuns and plans to join the Los Angeles Clippers on a two-year, $11 million deal with a player option after clearing waivers, Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports told ESPN. pic.twitter.com/gxZB0ObSms
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 16, 2025
Beal will join the Los Angeles Clippers, signing a two-year, $11 million contract. The Clippers could not offer much more as they are a team hard-capped in the first apron and had just $5.4 million of their mid-level exception available.
Per Charnia on Twitter
The crux of the decision for Beal and his representation was finding the best basketball situation first and foremost once he was granted permission by the Suns to speak to interested suitors around the NBA, and Bartelstein led an exhaustive process over the last few weeks.
Beal became extremely excited about the route to part ways after meeting with multiple interested suitors, and Bartelstein then moved forward with the Suns on completing the release Wednesday, opening the path for Beal to start a new chapter in LA.
There’s no official word yet on the exact amount of the buyout, but the assumption is that it is for the expected $96 million amount. According to Bobby Marks, Phoenix hasn’t stretched that amount yet and doesn’t have to until August 31. Still, the expectation is that they ultimately will.
Here is what the finances in Phoenix if the elect to waive-and-stretch the Beal owed salary.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 16, 2025
The Suns have until August 31 to stretch his money. pic.twitter.com/guH0pKhuaN
Per Charnia:
This now gives the Suns increased team-building flexibility by taking them out of the first and second aprons, providing access to more tradeable draft picks in the future, and opening up part of the mid-level exception to utilize.
Again, while nothing is official about the numbers, what is official is Bradley Beal is no longer a member of the Phoenix Suns.
How did we get here?
The addition of Bradley Beal two summers ago sparked the formation of the first non-organic Big Three in the Valley of the Sun. After 11 seasons with the Washington Wizards, Beal was ready for a new chapter. Armed with a no-trade clause embedded in the five-year, $251 million deal he signed in July 2022, he held all the power. He could choose his destination. And the place he chose was Phoenix.
On Father’s Day 2023, the news broke: Bradley Beal was becoming a Sun.
BREAKING: The Washington Wizards are finalizing a trade to send All-Star G Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns, sources tell ESPN. Beal’s waiving his no-trade to form a new Big 3 with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. Teams are still working thru framework, but Beal is headed to Suns. pic.twitter.com/0lQrSh370q
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 18, 2023
In two seasons and zero postseason wins, Bradley Beal suited up for just 106 of a possible 164 games, available only 64.6% of the time. He earned $46.7 million in 2023–24 and was on the books for $50.2 million in 2024–25. For that price, Phoenix got 17.6 points per game on efficient 51/41/81 shooting splits, along with 4.3 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 2.2 turnovers per contest.
He wasn’t the worst player on the floor. But he had the worst contract in the league. And when you’re compensated like a cornerstone, availability and impact aren’t luxuries. They’re expectations.
Beal didn’t deliver either. And what the past two years in Phoenix have made painfully clear is this: you can’t buy a championship, especially when you bet on the wrong horse.
Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro stated that Beal wouldn’t be on this team, and he’s been saying it since April.
@Gambo987: "There's a zero percent chance that Bradley Beal is back on this Suns team next year."
— The Burns & Gambo Show (@BurnsAndGambo) April 10, 2025
Watch the full conversation here: https://t.co/10IwVbrhPJ pic.twitter.com/AwtysiZ8TO
We’ve all had time to sit with this. To weigh the options, to wonder how, or even if, Bradley Beal ever truly fit. To calculate the cost of a buyout, not just in dollars but in direction. We’ve spent days cursing the organization for stepping into this trap. For chasing a star who duplicated skills, not elevated them, all while dragging along the worst contract in the league.
That chapter is now closed. The team moves on. And so do we.
In an effort to course-correct, the Suns have chosen to part ways with the 32-year-old, three-time All-Star. They’ll pay him $5 million simply to walk away. Not to be in their gym. Not to wear their jersey. Not to be part of the fabric of this team. It’s a quiet, unceremonious end to a partnership that never delivered on its promise.
Now, the question becomes: what’s next? With a bit of cap breathing room and a chance to reshape the roster with intention, the Suns stand at another crossroads. The burden has been lifted. What they do with that freedom will define this next era.
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