The Golden State Warriors have missed out on Bradley Beal after the veteran guard chose instead to sign with the L.A. Clippers following his buyout with the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.
Beal's decision is another brutal blow for many Warrior fans who've seen their franchise do absolutely nothing in the first two weeks of free agency, but failing to land the 3x All-Star does come with a silver lining and is great news for a young guard.
Brandin Podziemski can develop into a better player than Bradley Beal
Had Beal signed with Golden State, he would have likely taken the starting shooting guard role next to Stephen Curry in the back court. While that may have been better on paper given the need for more shot-creation, the Warriors may simply be better continuing to invest heavy minutes in young guard Brandin Podziemski anyway.
No one is saying that Podziemski will ever reach the heights that Beal did as a multi-time All-Star and perennial 23+ point per game scorer over a seven-year period, but he could certainly be better than this current version of the 32-year-old and particularly in the respective roles they're being asked to play.
Beal averaged 17.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists with the Suns last season, and while that was in a reduced role that clearly didn't optimize him, it's unlikely he would have seen too many more looks as a third option behind Curry and Jimmy Butler.
Even with the Clippers, Beal will have to play off James Harden and Kawhi Leonard in a way that's unlikely to provide a huge boost to his raw box score numbers. That's not to take anything away from what's an excellent signing -- if Beal just replicates last season's numbers but in a winning environment, then that's a huge result for one of Golden State's closest rivals.
But Podziemski may be more adept in the role as a fourth or fifth starter right now, particularly after what we just saw in the final months of the season. Following the All-Star break, the second-year guard averaged 15.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and a steal per game, shooting 43.8% from 3-point range and being a +150 in plus-minus. Those numbers are arguably better than Beal's, while Podziemski still has much more room for improvement as a 22-year-old entering his third year.
The Warriors are still likely to target veteran free agent guards to reinforce their back court rotation, including an expected reunion with De'Anthony Melton. However, the 27-year-old is coming off a long-term knee injury that will likely see him on limited minutes for the foreseeable future, meaning Podziemski's role and playing time will remain significant.
The same can be said for other potential targets like Damian Lillard who won't be back until after the All-Star break at the very earliest, while Malcolm Brogdon has dealt with persistent injuries and has appeared in just 63 games over the last two seasons.
Podziemski should actually be thrilled with Beal's decision to join the Clippers, giving him the room to grow and continue to take a stranglehold on the starting two-guard spot entering training camp in October.