Bradley Beal, Backup Center Bargains and Other Musings
I've got some things on my mind today that don't necessarily merit full posts on their own but if I combine them into one, then
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The Beal Deal
I thought Michael Schwartz summed things up nicely (thread): waiving and stretching Beal's contract just... doesn't actually do anything for the Suns. Sure, they duck under the second apron and save money and that's nice for Mat Ishbia, but getting under the second apron now doesn't free the team to do anything of consequence.
As Schwartz points out, if they had done this before executing a Kevin Durant trade, it would have opened up considerably more options for Phoenix in terms of being able to aggregate salary. Now, they will just have a massive cap hold clogging their books for five years (which will include the two seasons of Devin Booker's probable contract extension) and no immediate way to replace what Beal would have brought to the table (or pivot to someone who brings something else at a high level), and they sacrificed what could have been an asset next year as they tried to search for a co-star for Booker's prime years.
This is a non-contender willingly taking on years' worth of dead money with no tangible benefit. At least, as Schwartz also said, the Bucks were able to use their Damian Lillard waive-and-stretch savings to sign Myles Turner, as risky as that was. Phoenix can do no such thing. So why do it at all? Beal presumably wants out, but giving him what he wants at no benefit to your team isn't smart management.
All that said, I think it's important for people to remember that when Beal hits the market, he will and should have value. There's a difference between being on a bad contract (which Beal was for both salary reasons and due to his no-trade clause) and being a bad player. Beal was the former, not the latter. He can help some team, whether as a starter or coming off the bench, if he's willing to do so.
He can still shoot (he made 41% of his threes in Phoenix) and he can still create (he averaged 10 drives per game and shot 59% on the drive last season), and there have been times where he's been willing and able to defend. (BBall-Index's individual defense metrics rated him quite highly last season, for whatever that's worth.) As a secondary or tertiary option, he's still got some juice.
We don't really know what he's looking for in free agency, dollar-wise or role-wise. He's reportedly going to give up around $13.9 million in the buyout, so I'd expect him to try to make a good chunk of that back, whether on a one- or two-year deal. (Maybe he signs for a lower amount this season and tries to get back into free agency next summer.) I'm assuming that contenders will be interested, but we don't know what matters to him when it comes to the balance of contention and opportunity. I'd imagine the bidding war will get pretty interesting, though — and it should. There's a pretty obvious fit now after...
Three-Team Trade!
Shams broke the news:
- Clippers receive: John Collins
- Heat receive: Normal Powell
- Jazz receive: Kyle Anderson, Kevin Love, 2027 second
This is yet another example of the Clippers not wanting to commit any money beyond the 2026 or 2027 season (as Mo noted on last week's Double Dribble podcast), with Michael Scotto reporting that the Clips were reluctant to give him a long-term extension. They're clearing gearing up to do ... something in a two years, once Kawhi Leonard and James Harden's deals are up.
Turning Powell into Collins is interesting. It gives the Clippers another big man, but one who can play either solo or alongside one of Ivica Zubac or Brook Lopez or Nic Batum. He can start or he can come off the bench. (I feel like he probably comes off the bench and then starts in the games where Kawhi sits out, but that could change depending on what else they do.) This does leave them a little bit thin on the perimeter beyond Harden, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kris Dunn, and I guess Derrick Jones Jr. As much as I'd like to see Jordan Miller take on a significant role, I feel like that's probably not in the cards just yet and they're the obvious Beal team.
The Heat basically got better for free right here. Anderson and Love weren't going to be major contributors for them and all they had to sacrifice was a deep-future second-round pick. That's nice. They might have put themselves in a spot where they have to pay Powell's next deal, which will make for an interesting (in a different way) fit with Tyler Herro already on the team; but who knows, maybe they just liked the upgrade for next year and are fine letting Powell walk if it comes to that. Either way, they really needed a movement shooter and someone who could work the dribble hand-off game with Bam Adebayo after trading Duncan Robinson to Detroit, and Powell can certainly do that.
I continue to have no real idea what Utah is doing other than making damn sure that it won't have to sit any players in order to be a tire fire this coming season.
Center of the Frame
Are backup centers the best bargain in the NBA right now? I was looking through my list of signings this summer to pick out some favorites and so many of them were deals for the big guy behind the big guy.
- 2 years, $18M for Brook Lopez
- 3 years, $24M for Jaylin Williams
- 4 years, $41M for Luke Kornet
- 3 years, $21.5M for Clint Capela
- 2 years, $12M for Guerschon Yabusele (kind of)
- 2 years, $12M for Day'Ron Sharpe
- 2 years, $5.5M for Sandro Mamukelashvili
- 1 year, minimum for Larry Nance Jr.
- 1 year, $5M for Moe Wagner
The exceptions are Bobby Portis and Naz Reid, who aren't so much backup centers as they are third big men who play with the starters a lot and can also work at the four next to another big. Reid, specifically, got paid like a starter, in line with the salaries for Myles Turner and Jakob Poeltl.
Backup centers were even available cheaply in trades. The Nuggets gave up essentially nothing (Dario Saric) to acquire Jonas Valanciunas. The Pacers surrendered just a second-round pick and a second-round swap to get Jay Huff.
I don't have a big over-arching point here. I just think there are bargains to be had on the backup big man market and you therefore probably shouldn't over-extend yourself when paying for one.
The Decision: 15 Years Later
I wrote a big story at CBS Sports about the lasting effects of The Decision. From player empowerment to Twitter scoops, Big Threes to USA Basketball, pace and space to GOAT debates, I detailed how LeBron's choice to go to Miami changed the league forever. I'd love if you'd read it!
Jared Dubin
