Bradley Beal has shown up in a few Celtics rumors lately. It's not exactly clear how much interest they have, but because his stock has dropped considerably over the last few years, he isn't as much of a draw as he used to be. In a way, he's in the same boat as Paul George.
The primary reason why the Jaylen Brown trade got so much ire is that many were far from satisfied with the return package. Because George isn't the player he used to be and is considered a considerably lesser player than Brown, fans weren't exactly excited to know he was the primary return.
However, even if they aren't at their peak these days, both of them are still quality players, although in Beal's case, that's more on paper as he's coming off an injury-plagued season. Nonetheless, George has transitioned into more of an elite 3&D wing while Beal is still a three-level scorer, even if he won't be asked to do nearly as much as he was in Washington and Phoenix.
The other cause for concern is that, like George, Beal would have to be load-managed. Beal hasn't played more than 60 games since 2019 (we must remember the shortened COVID-19 seasons), and with his history, Boston may have to conserve him more than they did with Malcolm Brogdon three seasons ago.
That's the kind of role Beal would have: a super sixth man who can be that electric scorer in the second unit. Those would be realistic expectations if Boston brings Beal in. Not to be the player he was, but to be the best player he can as he enters the twilight of his career
The key difference between Beal & George
While Boston is paying George Max money despite the fact that he certainly is no longer a Max player, it would be different with Beal. If Boston were to bring in Beal, it would be for chump change. It would be an easy bet to make that he can out-perform that contract with his value as low as it's ever been.
That's why it's hard to see how something like this could go wrong. If the days of Beal being a useful player is long behind him, what hurt would that do to Boston? He becomes salary cap filler in a deal down the line. Is that really that bad?
Boston has made the most of guys who haven't worked out in the past. When Dennis Schroder proved to be a bust, Boston turned him into Daniel Theis. When Danilo Gallinari was coming off his second ACL tear, Boston used him as cap filler to get Kristaps Porzingis. If Beal falls into that category, they can deal with it just fine.
It won't hurt the Celtics all that much if Beal doesn't work out. It's as low-risk, medium-reward as it gets. He's not prime Beal anymore, but the amazing albeit limited payoff is worth the gamble.
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