It is somewhat surprising that Bradley Beal opted out of his contract this summer, let alone that he remains a free agent. The Boston Celtics have been rumored as a suitor for Beal, though it sounds more like he's into them than the other way around. Why would he want them specifically? Simple: to play with Jayson Tatum before his career is done.
When Jake Fischer linked Beal to Boston, he said Boston can't be ruled out, but he made it sound like it's more like Beal wants to play with Tatum because of their St. Louis connection. The two grew up together and remain close friends to this day.
Despite that, plus plenty of rumors over the years linking Beal to Boston back when he was in his prime, Beal has never worn a Celtics uniform. Even after Phoenix waived-and-stretched him, Boston didn't bring him in last offseason because they already had Anfernee Simons.
Now the Celtics have an open roster spot, but already added a third guard with Mike Conley Jr., although that has lefy many curious with his age. If Beal fits a need for Boston and wants to play with Tatum before his time in the NBA is up, it would make sense to bring him aboard.
However, it wouldn't be because Stevens is one for sentiment. He's shown for a few years from now how little he cares about that.
If Boston adds him, it will be because Brad Stevens believes he can help
Sadly, there's no telling what Beal can still do. His latest season was cut short by a hip injury, but it wasn't like he was putting up numbers before that all went down. In six games, he averaged 8.2 points and 1.7 assists while shooting 37.5% from the field and 36.8% from three.
If the Celtics added him, they would bank on that last season was simply an anomaly for him and that he has more left in the tank than many realize. He evidently thinks so if he opted out of his deal with the Clippers.
Stevens has brought in aging players on the belief that they were better than many had perceived. The best example of this is Blake Griffin, who was basically out of the NBA before Boston brought him in at the last second.
To be fair, that sounds like Conley in a way, as he was in Minnesota's doghouse for understandable reasons before Donte DiVincenzo tore his Achilles. If Stevens were to bring in Beal, it would be because he believes he had more juice than Conley does.
It would be cool to see Tatum share the floor with his best friend, but it will only happen if Stevens think it's worth trying.
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