James Harden Was Reportedly 'Focal Point' of Bradley Beal's Recruitment to Clippers
Bradley Beal is set to join the Los Angeles Clippers, and James Harden is reportedly a major reason behind the move.
"I'm told James Harden was a focal point in recruiting Bradley Beal internally but also speaking directly to Beal and his camp," ESPN's Shams Charania reported Wednesday on NBA Today.
The update comes after Charania reported Beal chose to join the Clippers on a two-year, $11 million deal after he and the Phoenix Suns agreed to a contract buyout.
From Phoenix's perspective, this has been an offseason of transition away from a disappointing season. Kevin Durant is now on the Houston Rockets, and Beal is the latest departure to join another Western Conference squad.
The guard had a full no-trade clause in his contract, which became a major storyline during the 2024-25 campaign as the Suns were unable to move him and turn their season around with impactful moves ahead of the deadline.
Earlier this month, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic reported the team and Beal were "discussing a possible buyout" with two years and $110 million remaining on his deal. The idea was for Phoenix to get under the second apron as it turns its attention toward building around Devin Booker in the future.
As for the Clippers, Charania noted they see Beal as a "perfect fit" alongside Harden and Kawhi Leonard.
While the three-time All-Star saw his scoring average drop to 17 points a night last season, which was his lowest mark since 2014-15, he still connected on 38.6 percent of his three-pointers. He also drilled 43 percent of his attempts from deep in 2023-24 for the Suns.
He was able to take advantage of openings created by the defensive attention Booker and Durant drew, and the idea is he will be able to do the same when opponents focus on slowing down Harden and Leonard.
Harden is also still one of the league's best passers and will surely put him in position to succeed.
Los Angeles needed another wing scorer after trading Norman Powell this offseason, and it landed someone who averaged better than 30 points per game in back-to-back seasons in 2019-20 and 2020-21.
Beal may not reach that form again, but he and Harden should form a complementary partnership in the backcourt as the Clippers look to contend in a strong Western Conference.
