Bradley Beal is still a Boston Celtics trade target to keep an eye on

Boston Celtics fans hoping to see Jayson Tatum team up with Washington Wizards star and fellow St. Louis product Bradley Beal ought to keep those hopes up.

Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix believes that Beal is a Cs target worth keeping an eye on as the NBA approaches the February 10th trade deadline.

A combination of the Wizards losing and Beal’s individual numbers cratering–his scoring average has dropped eight points per game in 2021-22 from last season–has the former Florida Gators star being seen as acquirable by several teams across the association.

Without a commitment to D.C. long-term, Mannix argues it’d be “malpractice” for Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens not to come up with a trade offer.

Interestingly enough, the Cs may not have the sort of strong Beal package that they would have in years past:

"“I think Brad Stevens has some work to do to get to that point to muscle their way in. It’s not like the old days when they had this treasure trove of draft picks. They need to find a way to start developing young talent. Maybe that’s just more minutes for Payton (Pritchard) and Aaron Nesmith, but also replenish and maybe Dennis Schroder and the likes of those players can help replenish that.”"

Mannix may be suggesting Payton Pritchard and Aaron Nesmith as potential trade chips, but at this moment, neither is playing well enough to have much value for the Wizards. Dennis Schroder would most certainly be involved in any deal of significance at the deadline, making the money work as an expiring contract that could be subsequently released onto the veteran buyout market for contenders.

One player he does not see as being involved in any potential swap is Jaylen Brown, who he mentioned as a star Beal would be joining alongside Tatum. Hardwood Houdini would need to be blown away by any offer to be okay with parting with Brown.