The Golden State Warriors have missed out on Bradley Beal in free agency, with the 3x All-Star signing with the L.A. Clippers in an unfortunate albeit expected move on Wednesday.
Beal had emerged as a player of interest for the Warriors over the last week, but his rejection of the franchise does allow the front office to now target a different All-Star guard who remains a free agent.
The Warriors could turn their attention to Damian Lillard in free agency
Before the Beal interest had ramped up in the past week, Golden State had also reportedly checked in on Damian Lillard after the 9x All-Star was waived by the Milwaukee Bucks in a stunning move early in free agency,
Beal was always going to be a preference over Lillard given the uncertainty in the latter's future coming off a torn achilles, but it could prove a blessing in disguise for whoever signs the Oakland native and can prepare him for a return after next year's All-Star break.
Prior to the devastating injury in Game 4 of the first-round series against the eventual Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers, Lillard was still viewed as the far superior player whose numbers reflected that.
Lillard has been an All-Star in each of the last three seasons and seven of the last eight, while Beal's most recent All-Star appearance came back in 2021. Beal's scoring had dropped to 17.0 points at the Suns last season, with Lillard remaining at 24.9 points and over seven assists on 37.6% from 3-point range on nine attempts per game.
Beal would have been better for Golden State based simply on being available immediately entering next season, but turning the attention to Lillard could be a solid consolation prize for a team who is still yet to make a single move over two weeks into free agency.
The unresolved future of Jonathan Kuminga certainly wouldn't have helped any remote chance the Warriors would have had at Beal, yet that may not be exactly an issue for Lillard given the 35-year-old is in no rush to sign with a new team.
The question is whether an already veteran team is willing to take on someone who will miss the majority of the regular season, particularly given they're likely to bring in another guard, De'Anthony Melton, who's coming off a long-term ACL injury.
Yet for a team like the Warriors who are at least a tier below the very best in a tough Western Conference, taking a high upside swing on Lillard may be the sort of risk they need to take to close the gap and have the potential of a deep playoff run.