07-12-2025, 05:12 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-12-2025, 05:12 PM by SleepingHero.)
https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-lat...eshest-nba
Quote:Why is Beal's highly anticipated buyout from Phoenix and subsequent foray into free agency unfolding so slowly?
The Stein Line has identified one potential snag.
League sources say Beal's current contract stipulates that he is owed a 25% advance payment on his 2025-26 salary on July 15. As in this coming Tuesday.
The early payment is valued at more than $13 million.
While sources say that Beal will ultimately receive that amount no matter how his eventual exit from the Suns plays out, it is believed that he could elect to wait for that payment to go through before proceeding with his departure from the desert.
The Clippers, Lakers, Warriors, Timberwolves and, yes, Giannis' Bucks are teams with a confirmed interest in signing Beal once he reaches the open market ... with the Clippers widely regarded as a particularly strong contender to land the 33-year-old former All-Star.
For the Suns to waive and stretch his contract like Milwaukee did with Lillard, Beal would be required to surrender at least $13.9 million of the nearly $111 million he is currently owed over the next two seasons.
A buyout, of course, would terminate Beal's original five-year deal worth in excess of $250 million signed with Washington in the summer of 2022 and, courtesy of that termination, erase one of the NBA's two active full no-trade clauses. The Lakers' James holds the other one.
14x All-Star, 12x all-NBA, 1x MVP, 1x Finals MVP, 1 NBA Championship: Dirk Nowitzki, the man, the myth, the legend.