Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard became free agents when they were let go by the Suns and Bucks, respectively. However, they were not without a team for too long, as they were swooped up by the Clippers and Blazers earlier this week.
Joining Los Angeles gives Beal a much-needed fresh start following his tumultuous time in Phoenix. More importantly, he joins a legitimate contender in the Western Conference. On the other hand, Lillard is back in Portland, where it all began for his NBA career, and the fans there have welcomed him with open arms.
Elsewhere, the Thunder were adamant on not making the same mistake twice by locking up their core players for the foreseeable future after winning this season’s NBA title at the expense of the Pacers.
Even in the offseason, basketball fans continue to receive their NBA 2025 updates, and SBOTOP will cover them one by one.
Beal joins Clippers after securing buyout with the Suns
The Suns were supposed to compete for the NBA championship when they formed the Big 3 of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal. However, two years later, Phoenix did not even qualify for the play-in tournament, and they just fired another head coach.
Because their top-heavy approach hasn’t worked, the Suns decided to break it all up. After firing Mike Budenholzer, they hired Jordan Ott, not a flashy name, to become their newest head coach. Then, they traded Kevin Durant to the Rockets in a historic seven-team deal to bolster their draft capital and handed Devin Booker a new lucrative contract extension.
Phoenix would’ve preferred to trade Bradley Beal to get more assets, but Beal’s no-trade clause made it impossible. So, the team decided to cut its losses and buy him out, and Beal is headed to Los Angeles to join the Clippers.
Beal’s deal with the Clippers is for two years and $11 million with a player option. The three-time NBA All-Star should fit in well alongside James Harden and Kawhi Leonard with his ability to convert catch-and-shoot threes. The 32-year-old also fits in the team’s timeline. The only concern for Beal is his injury history, as he only played 106 out of a possible 164 games in his two-year stint with the Suns.
Lillard returns to old stomping grounds
Damian Lillard is back where he belongs. After spending the past two seasons with the Bucks trying to win a championship, Lillard has agreed to a three-year, $42 million contract to return to the Blazers last Thursday. The deal also stipulates that the nine-time NBA All-Star has a player option for 2027-28 and a no-trade clause.
Lillard wanted to win his first NBA championship, so he joined the Bucks via a trade in 2023 in exchange for Jrue Holiday, who eventually went to the Celtics. However, Milwaukee endured back-to-back first-round exits against Indiana, and he was waived and stretched by the team (to make room for Myles Turner’s free agency signing) following his Achilles rupture towards the end of their 2025 playoff run.
The Celtics reportedly approached Lillard after they traded Holiday back to the Blazers to shed salary. But according to ESPN insider Shams Charania, Lillard returned to Portland to be closer to his family.
He spent 11 seasons with the Blazers, making seven All-NBA teams. Lillard also led Portland to the postseason eight times, including a Western Conference Finals appearance in 2019. The 35-year-old is Portland’s all-time leading scorer (19,376 points) and three-point shooter (2,387 three-pointers) and second all-time playmaker (5,151 assists).
With Lillard, Holiday, and their young core, the Blazers aim to build on their 22-18 finish last season, looking to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
Thunder lock down their championship core
The Thunder were criticised for not keeping the star trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook together after losing to the Heat in the 2012 NBA Finals, and general manager Sam Presti is not going to make the same mistake twice.
After beating the Pacers in seven games to win the 2025 NBA Finals, Presti gave Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a four-year, $285 million extension, making him the highest-paid player in NBA history in terms of annual salary, Jalen Williams a five-year, $287 million extension, and Chet Holmgren a five-year, $250 million extension. They also re-signed Jaylin Williams and Ajay Mitchell to new multi-year deals.
With their core intact, the NBA 2025 odds have Oklahoma City as the prohibitive favourites to win next season’s championship, barring any major injuries.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE BASKETBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
