Boston Celtics not interested in trade for 3x All-Star: Report
By Sam LaFrance
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Boston Celtics are not interested in trading for Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal.
“My feel from talking to sources is that the Celtics are not necessarily in on this one,” Windorst said. “Their intention is to get Jaylen Brown done on a contract extension this year.”
Windhorst’s report came just hours after news broke that Beal and the Wizards plan to work together to find him a new home via trade, should the franchise decide to rebuild this summer.
After completing first season of a five-year, $251M contract, Beal’s unique standing as NBA’s only current player to have a no-trade clause negotiated into his deal gives him the ability to control not only possible destinations, but how a potential package to acquire Beal… https://t.co/KxVnTQHdlW
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 14, 2023
Beal has been linked to Boston for years now, pretty much ever since Jayson Tatum entered the league in 2017. The two are both from St. Louis, MO. with Beal serving as a mentor for Tatum as he worked his way to the NBA.
Boston Celtics to focus on extending Jaylen Brown
Boston, who is at the complete opposite end of the spectrum and pushing to win an NBA Championship, seems content on keeping their nucleus together.
Brown’s extension has been a major talking point amongst both fans and members of the media, ever since No. 7 was named to the All-NBA Third-Team last month. Because of his selection to the team, Brown is now eligible for a super-max contract extension, allowing Boston to pay him significantly more than any other team in free agency.
The 26-year-old has played his entire seven-year NBA career with the Celtics, after being drafted No. 3 overall in the 2016 NBA Draft. Last season he had his best statistical season yet, averaging 26.7 points per game, while shooting 49.1% from the field and 33.1% from beyond the arc. Brown was named to his second career All-Star game as well, joining Tatum as Boston’s lone participant.
With the big front office decision looming, fans have been split on if they actually want the Celtics to offer Brown the deal, or at least employ him for its entirety.
Recency bias is a real thing.
His terrible display in the Eastern Conference Finals, where he was outscored by Miami Heat wing Caleb Martin, has made fans question this ability, despite all of the great things he accomplished this season.