ESPN's Shams Charania broke the news Wednesday that Beal would be bought out by the Phoenix Suns and sign a two-year, $11 million deal with the Clippers. The Lakers may not have ever been the front-runners for Beal. Milwaukee and Golden State were also reported as possible destinations.

LeBron James can only return to the Cleveland Cavaliers if the NBA icon gets bought out by the Los Angeles Lakers before training camp. NBA insiders Dan Woike and Joe Vardon of The Athletic have the details.

Despite the trade rumors surrounding Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James, it doesn't appear that he will be going anywhere before the start of the 2025-26 campaign.