News: 4 days agoBeal was diagnosed Wednesday with a left hip fracture and will require season-ending surgery, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
Spin: Beal had previously exited Saturday's 114-103 loss to the Suns and sat out Monday's 105-102 loss to the Hawks to an injury the Clippers initially referred to as hip soreness. However, following further imaging, Beal was diagnosed with a fracture, and after consulting with multiple specialists, a unanimous decision was reached for the three-time All-Star to have season-ending surgery. After being bought out from his contract with Phoenix over the summer, Beal joined the Clippers on a two-year, $11 million deal in July. The second season of his deal is a $5.6 million player option, which he may be inclined to pick up after sustaining a long-term injury. With Beal out for the season, the Clippers could continue to lean more heavily on Kris Dunn alongside James Harden in the backcourt. Beal's absence could also pave the way for either or both of Bogdan Bogdanovic and Chris Paul to re-enter the rotation after both went unused in the Clippers' previous two contests.