While many expect Bradley Beal to sign with the L.A. Clippers once he finalizes a buyout with the Phoenix Suns, the Golden State Warriors still retain interest in the 3x All-Star when he becomes a free agent.
However, there may only be one realistic path to Beal that gives the Warriors an edge over the Clippers and other rival teams in pursuit of the veteran guard.
The Warriors might have to let Jonathan Kuminga go to sign Bradley Beal
There's now surging speculation that Beal will be looking to recoup as much money as possible that he'll lose in his buyout with the Suns, with the 3x All-Star needing to give up nearly $14 million for it to be legally possible.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst referred to that during Tuesday's episode of NBA Today, while local Suns writer Gerald Bourguet explained how that could play a major role in Beal's free agency decision.
“I think Golden State is another option for Beal. I would actually kind of like that fit for him," Borguet said on the latest episode of the PHNX Suns Podcast. "But again, he's going to try to recoup as much of that $13.9 million that he's probably going to be sacrificing with whatever contract he signs next. So I probably need to look at which of these teams have the MLE, whether it's the taxpayer or the non-tax payer, because I think that will probably play a role in his decision as well.”
If the Warriors want to open up the full MLE to throw at Beal, they've have to rescind the qualifying offer to Jonathan Kuminga or at least trade him with little to no salary coming back the other way.
The thought of essentially flipping Kuminga for Beal has been discussed previously here, but it might have more merit now considering Golden State's interest in the 32-year-old appears to be gathering steam.
The Warriors certainly haven't given up hope of stealing Beal from the Clippers' grasp, with NBA insider Marc Stein confirming they still have interest in the former No. 3 overall pick during an interview with 95.7 The Game's Willard and Dibs on Tuesday.
Stein also confirmed that he expects veteran duo Al Horford and De'Anthony Melton to eventually land with Golden State, making for an extremely interesting and potentially profitable period ahead if the franchise can acuqire that pair and Beal as free agents.
There's still a chance that the Warriors could acquire all three players while also re-signing Kuminga, yet they wouldn't be able to provide a bigger financial offer to Beal were they to bring back the former seventh overall pick on a new deal.
Beal's time in Phoenix has been a disaster, but he still averaged 17.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists on 50.5% shooting from the floor and 40.7% from 3-point range during his two years with the franchise.