Before Bradley Beal joined the Clippers, the Milwaukee Bucks were reportedly one of his suitors in free agency, eying the 32-year-old guard as an efficient shot creator and scorer despite a lengthy injury history. Those concerns ultimately came back to bite Los Angeles, who announced on Wednesday the crushing news that Beal will undergo season-ending hip surgery barely three weeks in. In light of this development, the Bucks can't help but be relieved they bowed out of the pursuit.
Bucks spared lesson the Clippers learned the hard way
While extremely unfortunate, something like this was not unpredictable. Beal missed 179 games over the past six seasons. He sat out two games for the Clippers following a back issue and had already missed four overall, including Los Angeles' game two days ago, due to hip soreness.
What is less predictable is the catastrophic nature of the injury. Despite consistent availability issues, Beal has never appeared in fewer than 40 games. While he has dealt with a variety of ailments, his recurring injuries in recent years have centered around his calf, ankle, and back.
That said, it wouldn't be far-fetched to fear that the constant wear and tear would catch up to him at some point.
Perhaps this turn of events was more bad luck than anything, but it does feel like the Bucks dodged one by going a different route. Instead of going all-out after Beal - they probably couldn't have paid him, anyway, which now seems like a blessing - Milwaukee went younger and more athletic by signing Cole Anthony to a one-year minimum deal following his buyout from Memphis.
It's not like Anthony was Mr. Durable during his five years in Orlando, but he's averaged 68 games per season since 2021-22 versus just 49 for Beal. At 25 years old, Anthony simply has a lot less mileage to worry about.
He has also been more effective as both a sparkplug scorer and an underrated passer. In six games for the Clippers, Beal averaged an inefficient 8.2 points and 1.7 assists. Anthony has been up and down for the Bucks, but it boils down to an average of 10.5 points and five dimes per game, on 53.7 percent true shooting versus 47.6 for Beal.
For the Clippers, loading up on big names past their prime has backfired as a free-agent strategy. Beal is done for the year. Chris Paul, another player linked to Milwaukee, is off to an abysmal start in year 21. James Harden is seemingly ageless, but the depth chart is undermanned behind him. By going in a different direction, the Bucks escaped the heartache that would be eating at them in the Clippers' shoes.