Jayson Tatum's friendship with Bradley Beal has been well-documented from pretty much the minute he came into the NBA. The two of them grew up together in the St. Louis area and have remained buddies since going pro, which has made many wonder about the possibility of the two of them becoming teammates at some point.
Beal is currently a free agent and makes some sense as an Anfernee Simons replacement. While not the player he used to be, Beal's value couldn't be lower right now, which makes him a perfect buy-low candidate. Well, it seems Beal is keeping Boston on his radar, at the very least.
Once the Celtics' acquisition became official, Beal liked their Instagram post of George holding his new Celtics jersey.
alright lol pic.twitter.com/bLJlNOahCb
— Al Horford Pacino (@alpacinogrunt) July 7, 2026
Maybe Beal and George have a strong rapport as well, explaining why Beal would do this. However, on Jake Fischer's live stream yesterday, when asked about Beal potentially becoming a Celtic, he revealed that Boston has been on Beal's radar for some time, though he didn't reveal whether there was mutual interest.
"Boston's kind of always been on (Beal's) radar to my knowledge because of that St. Louis connection with Jayson Tatum," Fischer said. "...I don't know what the likelihood of it is right now, but that's definitely been a spot that's been on Bradley Beal's radar for sure."
He also made it clear that he wasn't ruling out Boston as Beal's next stop.
It is odd that Beal remains unsigned
Beal is one year removed from his disastrous stint in Phoenix, and his most recent season was cut short because of a hip injury. Even so, on paper, Beal is talented enough that it is odd that he hasn't had much of a market. Obviously, the days of him getting paid $50 million are gone forever, but he's still good enough that he
Oddest of all, Beal opted out of his deal with the Clippers, which would seem unwise after he missed most of this past season. Perhaps he believes his services are best served as a Celtic at this stage of his career.
It's not like the Celtics desperately need Beal. They even have a full roster as currently constructed. Not to mention, they just signed Mike Conley Jr., who, as old as he is, signed with Boston believing that he would have a role with the team.
But Beal joining the Celtics would be a move that would surprise no one because of his connection with Tatum. If he can be had for next to nothing, there's not much downside.
Add us as a preferred source on Google