The Oklahoma City Thunder just became one of the youngest teams to win an NBA championship.
The Los Angeles Clippers are trying to become one of the oldest.
The Clippers plan to sign a two-year deal with Bradley Beal, who on Wednesday, July 16 secured a buyout with the Phoenix Suns to become a free agent and sign with a new team.
Beal must clear waivers first, but that’s just a formality. No team will claim him — and the two years, $110.7 million remaining on his contract.
The Clippers have had an intriguing offseason and assembled a talented — and older — roster. They re-signed James Harden, 35, and Nic Batum, 36, and will add Beal, 32. They also signed Brook Lopez, 37, and still have Kawhi Leonard, 34. They also acquired John Collins via trade to a roster that also includes Ivica Zubac, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr.
What does Beal deal mean for the Clippers?
The Clippers were 50-32 last season and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Denver Nuggets in seven games. They had a 2-1 series lead and lost Game 4, 101-99, on Aaron Gordon’s dunk as time expired in the fourth quarter.
They are an experienced, deep and talented team. For 2025-26, they lost scoring with Norman Powell’s departure, but make up for it with the additions of Beal (a low-cost, high-reward replacement for Powell) and Collins, and will be strong defensively after finishing No. 3 on that side of the court last season. Considering their No. 15 offense, the Clippers had the No. 5 net rating.
Harden had a bounce-back season, Zubac had a breakout season and Leonard when healthy (he played in 37 games last season) remains an All-NBA level player.
The Clippers will be a difficult matchup in the regular season and playoffs, especially if healthy. Deep and versatile rule the game in the NBA right now, and the Clippers have that.
What does the Clippers’ starting lineup look like?
Starters
Guard: James Harden
Guard: Bradley Beal
Forward: Kawhi Leonard
Forward: John Collins
Center: Ivica Zubac
Key reserves
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Kris Dun
Brook Lopez
Derrick Jones Jr.
Cam Christie
Kobe Brown
What does Beal deal for the Western Conference?
The West is loaded, and it will be difficult to emerge as the conference champion — even for the 2024-25 champion Oklahoma City, which needed two seven-games series to win the title.
The Clippers made it more difficult with their offseason moves. Looking at the West, considering what the Thunder, Denver and Houston did, there are six teams — maybe more — who could reach the finals.
