The Los Angeles Clippers made several big offseason moves in hopes of constructing a roster that was capable of contending in the Western Conference this season. One of those moves was to acquire former All-Star guard Bradley Beal after he reached a contract buyout with the Phoenix Suns. With the Clippers set to square off against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, they might be without Beal’s services as he popped up on the team injury report.
Bradley Beal is officially listed as questionable for the Clippers game against the Blazers, as per the NBA’s official injury report. He is listed as dealing with back soreness. A final update on Beal likely won’t come until right before the game.
Beal joined the Clippers in the offseason when he signed as a free agent following a two-year stint with the Suns. He’s suited up in the Clippers’ first two games of the season, playing around 20 minutes per game. He’s averaged 5.5 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists with splits of 44.4 percent shooting from the field, 25 percent shooting from the three-point line and 100 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Beal has slotted in as the starting shooting guard for the first two games, and if he is unable to play, that likely means more of an opportunity for backup guard Kris Dunn, who was a big part of the Clippers’ success last season.
The No. 3 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, Beal is now in his 14th season in the league. He played the first 11 seasons of his career with the Washington Wizards, where he was selected to three All-Star appearances. The Wizards traded him to the Suns ahead of the 2023-24 season. A team that was expected to be a contender around Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, just never was able to find any consistency on the court.
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