Clippers run it back with former All-Star after lost first season

Bradley Beal’s first season with the Los Angeles Clippers barely got started. He will get another chance to make it work.

The three-time All-Star has agreed to return to Los Angeles on a two-year, $13.2 million contract with a player option in the second season, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

The reunion comes after Beal declined his $5.62 million player option earlier this offseason, a somewhat surprising decision considering how little he was able to show during his first year in Los Angeles.

Beal appeared in only six games before a hip injury ended his 2025-26 season. He averaged just 8.2 points and 1.7 assists in 20.2 minutes per game, by far the smallest sample of his 14-year NBA career.

That brief stint looked nothing like the player who once averaged 31.3 points per game for Washington or even the version who produced 17.0 points per game during his final season in Phoenix.

The Clippers are betting there is still something useful left.

Beal returns to a roster undergoing significant change. Los Angeles has added Darius Garland and No. 5 overall pick Keaton Wagler to its backcourt mix, while Kawhi Leonard’s future remains unresolved amid the NBA’s investigation into alleged salary-cap circumvention involving Leonard and the Clippers.

That uncertainty makes Beal’s return a relatively low-cost attempt to stabilize the backcourt.

If healthy, the 33-year-old could compete for starting minutes alongside Garland while providing another ball-handler and scorer. His availability remains the larger question, however, as Beal has not played more than 60 regular-season games since 2018-19.

After getting only six games from their investment last season, the Clippers are willing to try again.

This time, both sides will be hoping Beal’s second season in Los Angeles lasts considerably longer than his first.