Boston Celtics target No. 1) Bradley Beal
Perhaps one of the biggest surprises from this offseason was the ultimate decision by both the Washington Wizards and All-Star Bradley Beal to not split apart from one another despite numerous reports that they were on the brink of a breakup.
This, of course, came as somewhat disappointing news to Boston Celtics fans, as the guard has been linked as a possible trade target for the franchise dating back to last season what with his deep ties to cornerstone, Jayson Tatum.
While many have moved on from the Beal to Boston talks for the time being, Clutch Points writer, Mike Cruz, still seems to be focused on this agenda and thinks that, should Washington fail to live up to their star’s standards, the Cs should absolutely look to deal for him at the mid-way point of this coming campaign:
"Should this situation unfold, the Celtics should pounce on the opportunity to acquire Beal and pair him alongside him his good buddy Jayson Tatum. Washington probably won’t have much leverage in a potential Beal deal because of his contract. Thus, like with the Lillard trade, they could probably get in acquiring the 28-year old without needing to include Jaylen Brown. Adding the no. 2 scorer in the league last season to form a Big Three with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown would undoubtedly make Boston a legitimate threat to the defending champion Bucks and the powerhouse Nets in the Eastern Conference."
Frankly, should Beal request a trade out of the nation’s capital, we don’t envision a return package being nearly as large as one likely would have been in the past — in other words, we do not believe it would cost the Boston Celtics Jaylen Brown.
Beal teamming up with the likes of Tatum and Brown would rival just about any Big-3 in the entire league and, like Cruz said, it would make the Cs legitimate threats to take down the conference’s top-tier contenders in both Milwaukee and Brooklyn.
Though in the past we’ve been a bit coy when it comes to seeing a trade for the All-Star take place, for at one point it looked like they might be able to create enough space heading into next summer to simply sign him out right in free agency, with the team’s signings and player additionsthis offseason, as time has gone by their future salary situation has become a bit more complex.
Because of this, should Stevens and co. truly believe Bradley Beal is the key to bringing them closer to a championship, should he ask out of Washington the Cs should absolutely look to make a move.