ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel revealed how close the Los Angeles Lakers were to signing Bradley Beal.
Recent Report Reveals How Close Bradley Beal Was to Joining Lakers originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Phoenix Suns reached a buyout with three-time All-Star Bradley Beal on Wednesday. As ESPN's Shams Charania reported, he will then sign with the Los Angeles Clippers when he clears waivers.
This had been in the works for some time, as intel had revealed that the Suns had been discussing a buyout with Beal for a few weeks. It wasn't clear how his next team was going to be until Charania confirmed that it would be the Clippers.
The Los Angeles Lakers could have been a theoretical Beal destination. They already have enough scoring with LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves, but Beal would have given them another player capable of scoring 20 points or more on any given night, as he averaged 17 points while shooting nearly 50% from the field and 38.6% from three.
However, it appears the Lakers were never really in the Beal sweepstakes, even though they were one of his interested suitors. ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel reported that Beal never truly considered the Lakers before joining the Clippers.
"Beal did not show a lot of interest in playing for the Lakers despite the team holding extensive conversations with him and his representation, league sources told (ClutchPoints)," Siegel wrote.
Beal did not show a lot of interest in playing for the Lakers despite the team holding extensive conversations with him and his representation, league sources told @ClutchPoints. https://t.co/qnTuNYP8Jt
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) July 16, 2025
Thus far this offseason, the Lakers have added Deandre Ayton and Jake LaRavia in free agency, but have lost Dorian Finney-Smith to the Houston Rockets. Beal joining their crosstown rival only strengthens one of their bigger competitors in the Western Conference.
Related: Cavaliers Named New Favorites to Land LeBron James After Mavericks Report
Related: Lakers' Austin Reaves Makes Personal Announcement
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
