“Expect him to play like an All-Star” – Bradley Beal’s agent shares Clippers HC Ty Lue’s demands from $11 million buyout star

The Bradley Beal saga has finally come to an end. The former Washington Wizards star is now heading to sunny California to play with the LA Clippers. Beal agreed to a contract buyout with the Phoenix Suns, giving back $13.9 million of the $110 million he had left on his contract. The Clippers gave him a two-year deal worth $11 million.

Beal struggled to stay on the court during his days in the desert. Nevertheless, his agent, Mark Bartelstein, points out that the Clippers are fully confident in his ability to return to his previous All-Star form.

“They want him to be the best version of Brad,” Bartelstein told Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina. “They want to turn him lose. They expect him to play like an All-Star and impact winning. It’s about impacting winning on both ends of the floor at the highest level. The messaging is they want the very best and everything that Brad has to give.”

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Beal played in 53 games last season, with 15 of those appearances coming off the bench. He averaged 17.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game on 49% shooting, including 38% from beyond the arc.

Bradley Beal was 'heavily pursued,' says agent

Bradley Beal hasn't been the same perennial All-Star-caliber player he once was. Injuries derailed his promising career, and he took a big step back playing under the shadows of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker in Phoenix.

His availability issues, combined with his steep salary, made it impossible for the Suns to find a suitable trade partner. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean that multiple teams weren't keeping tabs on his situation.

Per his agent Mark Bartlestein, several teams reached out to him once the news broke that he was about to be bought out.

“He had a lot of options," the agent said. "He was heavily pursued by pretty much everybody in the NBA and certainly almost every top tier team. We knew there were places he can go to and score 30 points a game again. But he really wanted to go to a place where he can compete for a championship."

At 31, Beal can still be an impactful player on a winning team, and he won't be asked to do all the heavy lifting with Kawhi Leonard and James Harden by his side. He could take Norman Powell's role, and could help in scoring.

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About the author

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto Cova is a journalist at Sportskeeda with a PhD in Sports Psychology. His education helped him develop a clearer understanding of the sports world as a whole, including basketball. Ernesto has over eight years of experience in the field, working for Fadeaway World, The Inquisitr, NBA Blast, The Cold Wire and Bolavip, among others.

His favorite team is the Chicago Bulls because of the Michael Jordan era. Jordan is Ernesto's all-time favorite, as he changed the game forever. Ernesto's second favorite was Kobe Bryant because he embodied that same competitive fire and Ernesto watched him play throughout his entire career. Nowadays, Ernesto really likes Stephen Curry, who he believes to be the most influential player of the past 15 years or so.

Ernesto's favorite basketball moment was when Venezuela -- his country -- took down Canada to take home the 2015 FIBA Americas Cup.

When not watching or writing about basketball, Ernesto likes to read and is interested in photography.

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