Nate Duncan alleges Los Angeles Clippers made illegal contract promise to Bradley Beal

NBA analyst Nate Duncan has alleged that the Los Angeles Clippers engaged in illegal salary cap circumvention regarding the contract of Bradley Beal. Duncan claims the team made a pre-arranged promise to provide Beal with a specific salary during his 2026 contract following his initial signing with the franchise last season. Beal joined the Clippers on a one-year, $5.3 million deal after a buyout from the Phoenix Suns and subsequently signed a two-year, $13.1 million contract this offseason. This accusation surfaces while the Los Angeles Clippers are already subject to an existing NBA investigation concerning salary cap management. The decision to retain the 33-year-old Beal instead of Bennedict Mathurin has drawn external scrutiny regarding the team's internal payroll planning. The league has not confirmed if these allegations warrant an investigation.

• 9:30 AMYahoo Sports — NBA analyst alleges that Clippers had to re-sign Bradley Beal after ‘illegal signing’ last year