After two seasons of disappointment with the Phoenix Suns, Bradley Beal embarks on a new chapter with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Suns waived Beal a month ago, and he then signed a two-year, $10.9 million contract with the Clippers, to join Kawhi Leonard and James Harden on an L.A. team that struggled to reach its championships aspirations.
Injuries are the primary reason why the Clippers struggled to make any deep postseason run, but Leonard should be healthy this season, as will Harden. The Clippers spent this summer reloading around those guys to build a veteran-led team that also features Chris Paul returning to the Clippers. They also added John Collins to give them some additional frontcourt depth to a rotation that won 50 games last season but fell to the Denver Nuggets in a seven-game series in the first round.
But the Clippers should return as a title contender, something that Beal certainly has his eyes on as he will being his 14th NBA season.
“I need a ring,” Beal said in an interview with his hometown St. Louis new station KMOV. “I want one bad, and I feel like I got a new life of rejuvenation, a new hunger. I’m excited about the opportunity, new city, new environment, but a hungry environment too. I’m definitely excited about the opportunity to go win.”
The Clippers may be set up to win a title, the question that remains is if they stay healthy enough to accomplish that goal. L.A. has +1900 odds to win the title next season per FanDuel, which ranks eighth in the league. This team will go as far as Leonard takes it, and he’s coming off a season where he played just 33 games, though he managed to play in all seven of L.A.’s playoff games. When healthy, Leonard is a dominant force on both ends of the floor, and he showed that in the Clippers first-round series against the Nuggets. If he plays between 50-60 games, the Clippers should certainly finished with a top-6 spot even in a loaded Western Conference. They may even have a decent shot at securing a top-4 seed, which would give them homecourt advantage at least through the first round.
Having Beal helps in the moments Leonard may not suit up for a regular-season game. He comes off a season where he shot 49.7% from the field and 38% from deep on 17 points a game. He missed 29 games with various ailments, but perhaps with a lighter load next season he’ll be able to stay healthier on a Clippers team that has far more depth than either of the years he suited up for the Suns.
