The Miami Heat are back in the Bradley Beal conversation. Beal is declining his $5.6 million player option with the Clippers to become an unrestricted free agent, and his willingness to walk away from that money is a sign he has interest elsewhere, with Miami flagged as a team to watch, according to Chris Haynes.
The connection is not new. The Heat have long been among the teams linked to Beal, dating back to his years in Washington, where Miami engaged in trade discussions for him as far back as 2019, according to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson.
One person in the Heat locker room who has shown his admiration is Bam Adebayo. After Miami beat Beal’s Wizards in March 2020, Adebayo conducted his postgame media availability wearing a Beal jersey and said the gesture was out of respect, according to Bleacher Report.
Bam Adebayo wearing his signed Bradley Beal jersey during the post game interview. Said it was “out of respect” for Beal.#RepTheDistrict pic.twitter.com/vkpnn0M0pp
— CC (@ChrisCSports) March 9, 2020
The timing fits Miami’s needs. The Heat have spent the offseason searching for perimeter scoring around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Adebayo, and Beal’s finances give him room to prioritize a contender, since Phoenix is still paying out the stretched remainder of his old contract. The catch is durability, as Beal has not appeared in more than 60 games in a season since 2018-19 and saw his last season end after six games because of hip surgery.
Whether the interest becomes a deal is a separate question, and the Clippers are expected to make a push to keep him. For now, though, it is one more offseason with Beal and the Heat linked, with one of Miami’s stars already on record as a fan.
