Since his debut in the NBA in 2012, Bradley Beal has been a thorn for the Los Angeles Clippers. Beal entered the court as a baby-faced 19-year-old in his first-ever matchup versus LA. Despite his inexperience, the former third overall choice went on to score 13 points.
After getting his feet wet, though, Beal went on to humiliate the Clippers in back-to-back games, scoring 20 and 29 points in his second and third encounters with LA, respectively. Beal has tortured Clipper Nation as a seasoned vet, averaging 28 points per game in his last three outings against them.
Despite his tendency for swooping to the bucket, drawing fouls, and scoring on backbreaking 3-pointers, Beal has spent his entire career in Washington. Nonetheless, with the Wizards still mired in basketball limbo with no apparent path forward, Beal could be on the move.
Bradley Beal playing for the Lakers may become a nightmare for the LA Clippers
The former multiple-time All-Star is returning from an injury-plagued season in the nation’s capital, but he still scored 23.2 points per game against opposition defenders. Beal is likely to opt out of his contract’s final year as free agency approaches. He’d become a free agent as a result.
Although Washington may tempt the former All-NBA talent to stay with the team by handing him a five-year, $246 million contract, Beal has plenty of other options. The Los Angeles Lakers, the Clippers’ crosstown rivals, would be among them.
Only Beal knows where he is going
Finally, with the NBA world as his oyster, Beal indicated that he has given serious thought to his future. The soon-to-be 29-year-old, unlike others, isn’t interested in extending his offseason. In fact, Beal recently stated that he has already made up his mind about where he will play next.
With a 7-32 record in 39 head-to-head matchups against the Los Angeles Lakers over the last few seasons, if Beal decides that playing for the Lakers is his best route to an NBA title, it might spell doom for the Clippers.
After fighting through a pool of injuries, the Clippers finished the season with a 42-40 record. Despite their strong performances, the Lakers just missed out on one of the last few playoff spots. The Clippers have championship expectations for the 2022-23 season, which is predicted to be much more fruitful. Regardless, despite Ty Lue’s Clippers’ 3-0 record against the Lakers last season, if Beal decides to play the second half of his career for the Lakers, the Clippers will face a difficult road ahead of them.
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